Shattered Memories
by xxPurpleZebraBabyxx
Summary: Miley Stewart lost her memory as a teen and knows nothing about her old life. Now she's grown and off to Hollywood. The problem? Nick Lucas and his daughter live in Hollywood, and both of them hold a piece of her past she might not be ready to find.
1. Prologue

**Hey people! So this is my first story on FF...and I would LOVE some feedback if you wouldn't mind. Warning: The prologue is extremely depressing, I know. The whole story will NOT be that way, don't worry. Sorry if the medical stuff doesn't make sense, I didn't do any research or anything, but I tried to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about. So...read it now?**

**Disclaimer: Please. Like I would be sitting around writing stupid little stories if I could think up something awesome enough to be on Disney Channel.**

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**Saturday June 11, 2009, Mercy Hospital, Wyckoff, New Jersey, 4:51 p.m.**

Loud, healthy cries reached the hallway. For the first time in hours, Nick Lucas raised his head, revealing his tear-streaked face to the hallway, which was deserted except for him.

He took a few seconds to register what he was hearing. A newborn baby crying…a _healthy _baby crying…

_His _baby crying.

His little girl.

For three seconds the relief rushed over him, and he was numb. His baby girl was healthy, alive, and well. He was a father.

Then he remembered about the baby's mother.

The door opened, and a somewhat-smiling nurse poked her head out. "Mr. Lucas?" she said gently. He looked up at her, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were still falling.

"Congratulations, a healthy baby girl."

Nick already knew that, of course, but hearing it said out loud was…indescribable. He had a baby. A daughter. And despite what had happened earlier that day, she was healthy. And he was a dad.

At seventeen.

He smiled for a second, but then it vanished.

"What about Miley?" he asked, struggling to raise his voice above a whisper.

The nurse's smile wavered slightly, just enough for him to notice.

"She…should be fine in time. Miley lost a lot of blood, and she has some pretty severe head injuries. She's in a coma."

Nick blinked back more tears. "Will she be alright?" he whispered.

The nurse gave a sad smile. "Probably. The thing is…a coma is unpredictable. She could wake up tomorrow, or in weeks, months…years…" She trailed off, but Nick knew what she was thinking.

_Or never._

The nurse patted his arm. "She's looking great, though. There's a very good chance that she'll get to see her little girl grow up."

Nick managed a soft smile at the words 'her little girl'. He loved the thought of a mini-Miley running around, a little ball of energy, just like her mother.

He wiped away the last of his tears, swallowing hard.

"Mr. Lucas?"

He looked up at the kind young nurse again.

"Would you like to hold your daughter?"

She saw the pure happiness flash through his eyes. Only for a second, but it was there.

He nodded.

The nurse smiled and walked back into the room, which was now quiet as the baby had calmed down.

Moments later she returned, holding a little pink bundle in her arms. She smiled at Nick as he stood up quickly, his eyes locked on the pink blanket.

She handed the bundle to him carefully, and stepped back.

The tiny creature in Nick's arms took his breath away. Her shocked expression was almost funny as she stared up at him with bright blue eyes – the eyes he had fallen in love with. Her tiny button nose resembled his own. Her lips had the same lovely shape as Miley's and Nick hoped that she had her smile as well. Little brown curls, very similar to his own, framed her pink face.

She was so beautiful.

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He knew this little girl would change the world someday.

"Hello, Peyton. Welcome to the world."

The name they had picked rolled off his tongue so naturally – he imagined saying it every day for the rest of his life. He remembered the many disputes they had over the baby's name; how Miley had wanted Ariel and he thought it was too Disney, and he had wanted Eva and Miley thought it was too exotic. How he had begged and begged to name the baby Destiny Hope after Miley's birth name that he thought was so beautiful, and how hard it had been to convince her to use it just for the baby's middle name.

He smiled at the tiny baby in his arms. Peyton Destiny Hope Lucas. He couldn't wait to tell her the story of her name some day.

The baby cooed up at him, as if she was answering him. He gently lifted the baby up to his face and kissed her head lightly.

"I love you so much," he whispered to her. "More than you'll ever know."

He cradled the baby carefully, gazing down at her perfect face, and she stared back as if she was studying him as well. She seemed to fit perfectly in his arms and he knew, almost instinctively, how to hold her. He found this strange, as the last time he had held a newborn baby was when his little brother was born nine years ago. But he didn't question it. His father had told him that there were some things he would just naturally know how to do when he became a dad himself.

He still couldn't quite comprehend that it had happened so soon.

Still cradling the little miracle to his chest, he turned and faced the room that his girlfriend was in. He wanted to see her so very badly, but at the same time, he wasn't sure if he could handle it. It pained him to think about his Miley lying in a hospital bed, helpless. He didn't want to see her that way. He didn't want to see the bruises, the bandages, the scars. The tubes and wires attached to her, keeping her fragile body alive.

No, he couldn't see her like that. Not yet. He thought of the Miley he knew – fearless, bright, witty, and smiley. Always, always smiling. Clinging with all his might to that beautiful smile, he held Peyton tight to his body and kissed her fragile cheeks, and prayed that her mother would soon be able to do the same.

**Tuesday June 14, 2009, Mercy Hospital, Wyckoff, New Jersey, 8:32 a.m.**

It was all that boy's fault.

They had been thirteen when it started. Billy Ray had liked him at the beginning. It had been innocent, just a cute little middle school relationship. He remembered being happy that his little girl had chosen such a good boy for her first boyfriend. He had values, he got good grades, and he seemed to be going places. For a while, he had seemed good for her.

And the two grew up, and changed along the way, as teenagers tend to do. The years saw many hardships for them, and through it all he began to see a different side of the boy.

They were fifteen when that boy broke his daughter's heart. He didn't know the whole story: a party, another girl, a fight, and a lot of pain were the only things he had gathered through Miley's hysterics. But it was enough to make him resent the boy with all his heart. And yet she forgave him, and let him back in. Billy Ray never quite did.

He accepted the fact that she wanted to continue dating him...scolding her would have only made her more determined, and he told himself that it was only a high school relationship. It would be over soon enough, and until then, he could just ignore the boy.

They were sixteen when he came home from work and found her in tears on the bathroom floor, holding a positive pregnancy test. And the very first words out of her mouth when she saw his expression were, "Daddy, please don't hurt Nick."

He couldn't say that he liked the boy who had knocked his teenage daughter up. He had disliked him for quite some time now. While something inside him respected the way the boy handled it all, the stronger part of him hated the boy – and the baby – and the hatred grew every day.

They were seventeen when they went out for ice cream – a pregnancy craving, no doubt, as Miley had chosen one of the strangest flavors ever heard of. It was on the way home that it happened. The boy was driving, and they were listening to the radio. Her favorite song came on and she started to dance and sing along. And he took his eyes off the road to look at her, and they shared a laugh. Only for a few seconds. Just long enough for the light up ahead to turn red.

The boy had called him from the hospital, so hysterical he could barely speak. Something wrong with Miley and the baby. Car accident. He rushed over and the boy explained everything. He was disgusted that Nick could be so irresponsible, to take his eyes off the road for even a second with his daughter in the car. He knew that his sweet Miley would probably blame herself. She would say it was her fault, for distracting him, and he would tell her she was wrong and blame himself, and they would eventually agree that no one was at fault. But Billy Ray knew that was wrong.

And as he stood in front of the distraught teenage boy who claimed to love his daughter and whom his daughter claimed to love, his hatred for said boy became a strong, undeniable loathing that made it difficult to even be near him.

It was all Nick's fault. Him and that fucking baby of his. If his daughter hadn't been pregnant in the first place, she wouldn't have gone out for ice cream. And he wouldn't be sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, knowing that his daughter could be dying and yet that damn boy and his damn baby had gotten away without a scratch.

"Mr. Stewart?"

Billy Ray Stewart jumped to his feet and looked intently at the young nurse who had walked up to him. She was smiling, which theoretically was a good sign, but he had learned in his lifetime not to completely trust those sympathetic nurses.

"How is she?"

"She's doing very well. She's awake."

Those two words were accompanied by such a wave of relief that he had to sit back down. A smile graced his seemingly-friendly features and he leaned back in the chair, bringing his hands to his face as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

"Can I see her?"

Something in the nurse's eyes changed – something he recognized. In an instant he was back on his feet, alert.

"Yes, of course. But...she won't remember you."

The relief was nearly gone.

"See, her head injuries caused her to lose her memory. A simple case of amnesia, we get it all the time. The thing is...we aren't sure how serious her case is. It might last only a few days..."

There it was, that sympathetic look.

"Or it might be permanent."

He tried to speak to her, but he couldn't find words. His baby girl didn't know who he was. She didn't remember him – she didn't remember anything – and she might not ever remember him again.

And it was all that damn boy's fault.

**Tuesday June 14, 2009, Mercy Hospital, Wyckoff, New Jersey, 12:17 p.m.**

"Come over here, boy."

Nick looked up. He gave a quick half-nod and turned back to his newborn daughter, cooing at her as he settled her back into her little bassinet. It made Billy Ray sick the way he fawned over her, as if he didn't care at all that Miley was still in such bad condition.

If he had looked just a bit deeper, he would have seen the torturous guilt and pain in Nick's eyes. But he never did.

Nick crossed the room and stood directly in front of Billy Ray. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and Nick was so startled by the hatred he saw that he looked away. Clearing his throat, he looked at his shoes and forced himself to speak.

"Yes, sir?"

Billy Ray scoffed. Nick had called him _sir _ever since he was thirteen. At first he had considered it respectful and a bit amusing, but now he wondered if he was only trying to kiss up and get back on his good side. He could see right through the boy. As far as he bothered to look, at least.

"Listen, boy. You know as well as I do that this was all your fault. I don't want you anywhere near my daughter ever again."

Nick was so shocked that he whipped his head back up and looked into the man's eyes again. "W-what? Sir, y-y-you can't do this!"

Tears spilled down his cheeks slowly, as the emotions in the older man's eyes told him that this was serious. "I'm so sorry for what happened with Miley," he continued desperately, "You know I am...Miley's my life; I love her and Peyton more than anything."

Nick fearfully took a step backwards as he noticed Billy Ray's eyes narrow at the mention of the baby.

"I don't care," was all the man spat. "Listen to me. Miley will wake up tomorrow one of two ways. Either she will remember everything and be asking for you, or she won't remember anything at all and never will again."

He held the boy's gaze as he continued. It was fear that held Nick's eyes there...fear and something else, something like pain, but Billy Ray wouldn't allow himself to see that far. Because if he did, he might begin to question his decision.

"If she remembers, I will tell her that you left her. That you were tired of her, tired of all this drama she had caused. I'll tell her that I have no idea where you went but that you didn't want her to contact you. I'll tell her you _hate_ her..."

Nick's silent tears had transformed into hysterical sobs.

"And I'll tell her that the baby is dead. And she will continue her life as though none of this ever happened, and she will be perfectly happy that way."

Billy Ray almost smirked at the pain in the boy's face. He deserved it after all the pain he had caused Miley.

"If she doesn't remember, she will not know about any of this. I will tell her that we were on our way home from a business trip of mine and that she doesn't know anyone here. We will go back to our old house in Tennessee and I will tell her all about her life there and how she is a good girl, with strong values. I will tell her she's a virgin. She will know nothing of you or that little monster, and she will be perfectly happy that way."

Nick was looking more and more distressed by the second. He was mumbling something under Billy Ray's words – something along the lines of "You can't do this" over and over, through his choked sobs. Billy Ray gave him a look that could only be described as hatred and disgust.

"And whether she remembers or doesn't remember, _you _will no longer be a part of her life. You are to take that child of yours and get as far away from Miley as possible. You will not be here when she wakes up." The boy's sobbing was annoying him. He took a step closer and raised his voice. "_Quiet._"

The boy got quiet, presumably out of shock, and Billy Ray continued. "You will not be here when she wakes up, and you will never come back. She won't know about you or that baby of yours. You will never, _ever _try to contact Miley or any of her old friends."

He reached out and grabbed the boy's chin, yanking his face up and forcing his pained eyes to stare right into his own.

"And if you do, you will be sacrificing your daughter's life."

He couldn't describe the look on Nick's face as he shot his hand up to his mouth, holding back a sob or vomit, or maybe both. He was crying so hard that Billy Ray wondered if he could even see him. And then, very suddenly, the boy found his voice.

"How could you do that?" He didn't sound very threatening through all of his tears, but his voice was fierce none the less, and through the hurt and fear in his eyes there was a fire that Billy Ray couldn't quite name. "How could you even _think _of killing your own granddaughter? How could you hide your daughter from the love of her life and her child?"

The boy stepped closer to him. "What kind of a sick monster are you?"

Billy Ray tilted his head to the side, clicking his tongue lightly as Nick fumed in front of him. "Well, that doesn't much matter to you, does it?" he finally said, and the boy gaped. "What matters to you is your daughter's well being. Are you going to listen to me and keep her safe, or give her life away for your own selfish reasons?"

Nick's heart broke for about the hundredth time in an hour as he walked over to his newborn daughter and looked down at her sleeping face. "F-fine," he finally muttered. Miley would want him to keep their angel safe. He couldn't imagine anything happening to her, especially something he could have prevented. To lose Miley would be the most horrible pain he had ever experienced...but to lose them both...the only relief he could think of would be suicide.

He forced himself to look up. "This time tomorrow Peyton and I will be on our way to California. You'll never hear from us again. Just please, _please _don't hurt her."

Billy Ray nodded in an official way, as if ending the conversation. Nick searched his blue-grey eyes one more time, foolishly hoping to catch a glimpse of the kind man he had once known. The one who threw popcorn into the air for Nick to catch in his mouth and was always willing to arm wrestle and winked when he told him not to keep Miley out too late. He wondered for a fleeting second where that man had gone.

Then he shook his head, turned, and walked slowly from the room with his head down.

Billy Ray quietly stood outside the door of Miley's room, watching as Nick whispered to her and kissed her hand over and over, saying goodbye to her. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but he almost felt as if he could somehow feel the emotion. Tears dripped onto the bed from the boy's eyes and when Billy Ray looked at them closely, he found that he could still see the pain, fear, and anger that he had seen before. But he also saw something else – a look of love so powerful that it nearly took his breath away.

For the briefest second, he wondered if maybe he was doing the wrong thing. Then he sighed, turned, and walked away from the boy's haunting brown eyes, knowing he would never see them again.

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**So. Like it? Hate it? Review it! (Please!)**


	2. Chapter One

**Please excuse how suckish this chapter is. But this is the first _real _chapter and first chapters are always suckish so...please don't kill me. DEDICATED TO: ****smileymee16, krfan, and niley4eva2012 for their lovely encouraging reviews! (:**

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Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Hannah Montana or JONAS or anything else cool. But I _do _own Peyton and the plot of this story, and that's a start, right?

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**Wed. August 3, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 8: 00 a.m.**

The little girl tried not to giggle as she quietly opened the door to her father's room and tiptoed inside. He didn't have to work today, and he had promised they would spend the whole day together. Since she'd woken up first, she had the pleasure of waking him up her favorite way - by jumping on him and screaming.

The four-year-old made her way over to the big bed and climbed up on it next to her father, dragging her special teddy bear with her. She stood up above him, a smile gracing her beautiful little face, and opened her mouth to start yelling. But she suddenly froze when she noticed something on the bed next to her father's sleeping figure.

Careful not to wake her father, she bent down and gingerly picked up the photograph next to him. Silently she sat down beside him, staring at the picture intently. A beautiful girl, no older than sixteen or seventeen, stared back at her. She had long, wavy brown hair that looked very soft and dazzling, sparkly blue eyes. And a big, bright, friendly smile.

Peyton gently ran her fingers over the girl's face. She had never seen her before, but somehow she knew who she was. She looked almost exactly the same as how Peyton had pictured her. She smiled as she realized how very much she herself looked like the girl in the picture. The same eyes, the same smile, and some other things she couldn't quite name. This girl was undeniably the most beautiful girl Peyton had ever seen.

"Mommy," she whispered in a small voice, her eyes never leaving the girl's.

She wasn't in so much of a hurry to wake her father anymore. She leaned back against the pillows and looked at the picture for a little longer, wondering once again what her mother was like. Her father never talked about her. He'd only really told her a few random things, all of which she remembered as if they were the most important secrets in the world. But mainly the only things he'd ever told her was that her mother loved her very much and that she hadn't ever wanted to leave them. Peyton didn't quite understand that – why would she leave if she didn't want to?

But whenever she asked, he just changed the subject.

She looked down at her teddy bear – Chewie, as she called it, because she'd chewed on its ear for comfort when she was younger. Her mother had bought it for her before she was born. It was her most prized possession.

She grabbed the little bear and turned it upside down to see the bottom of its left paw. She couldn't really read the words embroidered there, but she had memorized them. _Princess Peyton, Mommy's angel._

She ran her little finger over the letters, imagining the beautiful girl in the picture stitching them there, just for her. Silently she picked up her bear and gave it a tight hug.

Finally, she decided that now that she had seen her mother, her father would have no choice but to tell her a little more. "Daddy?" she said, climbing up onto her knees and gently shaking his shoulder. He stirred a little but didn't wake. "Daddy!" she pushed on his shoulder harder. Nothing.

Sighing in frustration, she leaned over and shoved his shoulder with all her might. "_Daddy!"_

Nick woke with a start, yawning as he sat up in bed. He groaned a little as he rubbed his eyes. "Good morning, Princess," he said, before he turned to see the look on her face. "Peyton? What's up?"

"Daddy?" she tilted her tiny head to the side. "Were you crying?" Confused, Nick moved a little to look at the mirror above his dresser. Sure enough, there were dried tears all over his face. Then he remembered the events of the night before.

It wasn't very unusual for him to cry himself to sleep, but of course Peyton didn't know that.

"That's nothing, P," he sighed. "Really. Don't worry about it."

"Daddy, you said not to cry about Mommy, remember?" she reminded him. "You said she wouldn't want us to be sad."

Once again he was amazed by his young daughter's cleverness. "That's right," he told her gently, smiling slightly as he reached out to tuck some of her curly locks behind her ear. "I guess I forgot."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Daddy," she whispered finally, reaching behind her to grab something. "This picture...it's Mommy, isn't it?"

She held it up for him to see. He took a sharp intake of breath as he realized he'd fallen asleep before hiding the picture last night.

"Peyton..." he whispered hoarsely, reaching out to take the picture from her.

She hugged it tight to her chest before he could grab it. "Is it?"

He looked into her big blue eyes. Sometimes he was glad that she looked so much like her mother. Other times, it was horribly painful.

"Yes, that's Mommy," he told her finally. "It was the last picture I took of her before she went away. Before you were born..."

"She's pretty," was all his daughter said.

Silence.

Peyton looked down at the picture again. "Daddy?" she whispered. Her voice was quiet, almost scared.

"Yes, honey?"

"Can I keep it?"

He looked at her, startled. How he hadn't seen that coming, he wasn't sure. "I...honey..."

"Please?"

Nick opened his mouth again, but then closed it. He was silent for a moment. "Sure, P. Keep it. You deserve a picture of her, don't you?"

She snuggled against him, holding the picture as if it were the most fragile thing in the world as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back gently. She wanted so badly to ask about her mother, but she couldn't find any words. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest finally. He only nodded, afraid that if he spoke she would realize he was crying again.

He had to be strong. For his daughter.

For _their_ daughter.

**Wed. August 3, 2013, Stewart Residence, Franklin, Tennessee, 8: 00 a.m.**

She slammed the trunk of her freshly washed car, pausing for a minute to collect her thoughts before turning around.

"That's everything..."

He smiled at her sadly. "I guess it is." He walked towards her until he was directly in front of her, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder.

After all he had done trying to protect her only four short years earlier, it was time to let her go. He couldn't protect her anymore. For a second, an alternate version of his daughter's life flashed before his eyes. Her own house, a husband, a little girl. Would she have been happy that way?

He shook his head. A baby at seventeen would have ruined her life, just as it was starting. She wouldn't have even remembered the pregnancy. He had saved her. He had done the right thing. She was happier this way.

Before he could force himself not to think about it, another image played out before his eyes. The man and the little girl without his daughter. Missing her. He wondered if the boy had another girlfriend by now, or maybe even a wife. He wondered if the girl thought her mother was dead. He even wondered for a moment if they were happy.

Then he reminded himself that he didn't care.

"I'll miss you, Daddy," Miley whispered, pulling her father into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll miss you too, Darlin'...so much,"

She pulled away from her father and turned around, staring off into the distance. She didn't even know where she was going, honestly. She knew her heart was leading her somewhere. Sure, going out into the world all alone with no clear direction wasn't the best idea, but she just had a feeling that everything would work out. She was twenty-one, fresh out of college, and ready to start her own life somewhere new.

She wanted to find herself. She wanted to find the piece of her life that she knew was missing.

She turned back around, facing her father for the last time before she began her journey.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Goodbye, Mile."

Flashing a fearless smile, she got into the car and started it up. She looked out the window and waved to him one last time before she drove off into the world.

Billy Ray let one single tear fall as he watched after her. He would miss her, of course. But he was also happy she was finally off to find herself. This was the whole reason he had done what he did. She would be able to have a life that she made for herself, not one that was set in stone because of some stupid teenage mistake. She could get married and have kids when she was older, when she was ready.

He quietly stepped back into the house that he now lived in alone. Suddenly it felt so very empty without Miley's laughter or the sounds of her guitar. Another unwelcome thought entered his mind and he pictured a little girl running through the hallways, laughing and singing and making messes. A little girl calling his daughter Mommy, giving her endless love. A little girl who called him Grandpa.

He shook his head. For all he knew, that boy and his daughter could both be dead. Not that it would matter if they were, because they were nothing to him. Or to his daughter. As far as she knew, they didn't exist.

He told himself again that she was better off not knowing. But for the first time in four years, he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

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**Just a little bit of an introduction...it gets better very soon, I promise. Reviews may make it even better though.**


	3. Chapter Two

**This is where the begining of the drama starts. Nick and Miley won't meet for another chapter or two, by the way. Also...almost 200 hits and 5 reviews. Come on, guys, you can do better than THAT! This chapter is dedicated to ****smileymee16, MayRey, iluvjb4ever123, p3aCel0vEaNddAncE, and nileyfan1 for being the only 5 to take a few seconds and review chapter one. Thanks for the encouragement! (:**

**Disclaimer: Nothing cool belongs to me.**

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**Thurs. August 4, 2013, Miley's Car, Some Road Someplace, 12:43 p.m.**

Miley was lost.

Not only was she literally lost, meaning she had no idea where the hell she was or how to get un-lost, but she was also emotionally lost. She still felt that her heart was leading her somewhere on this trip, but it wasn't doing a wonderful job of getting her there. Maybe her heart was confused. Maybe it was having second thoughts.

Or maybe she was just an idiot for allowing her heart to lead her across the country.

After driving for what felt like an eternity, she came across a friendly looking suburb. She decided to stop for a while. It's not like she was in much of a hurry to get to wherever she was going, and besides, she needed coffee. Desperately.

A few minutes later she was sitting all alone on a bench outside Starbucks, sipping her precious coffee and looking around, taking in the small town. She was starting to seriously doubt her plan. What could her heart possibly know anyway? For all she knew it could be leading her off of a cliff. Her heart wasn't exactly very experienced. She had never even been in love.

Bored, she noticed a newspaper lying abandoned on the ground next to her and picked it up.

She flicked through some uninteresting local news and read the comics before flipping to the national news. Her eyes scanned the page lazily as she finished off her drink. Suddenly something caught her eye. Some news story from Hollywood. The story itself wasn't particularly interesting, but the location was. She smiled as she realized the important discovery she had just made.

That's where her heart was leading her. Hollywood.

She had no idea why she was going there or what she would do when she got there, but she knew that that was where she was supposed to be. There was something strong pulling her there, a force she had never felt before. She _needed _to be there. That was where her life was meant to take place.

Smiling widely, she hopped off the bench, tossing the cup in a trash can before practically running back to her car. She was more than ready to start the rest of her life.

**Thurs. August 4, 2013, Joe's Apartment, Hollywood, California, 1:03 p.m. **

"Hey, Nick, can I ask you something?"

Nick looked up at his brother. "You just did."

Joe rolled his eyes, pivoting around so that he was no longer laying flat on the couch, but sitting up with his feet on the floor. "Ha, ha. You're becoming more and more like me."

Grinning, Nick leaned back against the cushions. "Seriously though, what is it?"

Joe looked into his brother's eyes and just held his gaze for a moment. "How serious are you about this girlfriend of yours?" **(AN: Enter Queen of the Bitches.)**

Nick was quiet. After a moment he said with a sigh, "Honestly, I don't know. She's pretty and I like her and everything..."

"But you don't love her?"

"Not yet. I will soon."

Joe shook his head lightly. "You can't force love, Nick."

Nick studied his hands. "It's just...I haven't dated another girl ever since..._you know_..."

Joe nodded. He was one of the few people who knew the whole story of Nick and Miley. Sometimes, he wished he didn't know.

"I just think I _could _love her, if I wasn't so afraid to, y'know?"

"And if she wasn't such a bitch," Joe added with a smirk, half-joking but half-serious. Nick laughed as he picked up the pillow that was beside him and whacked his brother with it. "She's not a bitch. She's just very...blunt and honest. Sometimes it just comes across as harsh."

_Nah, she's just a bitch, _Joe thought, but knew better than to say it.

"Really I only agreed to go out with her because I felt kinda sorry for her. She'd been chasing me for like three months and she was getting a little desperate. But then I got to know her and I liked her. Maybe before long I'll be in love with her."

Joe only stared at him. "What does Peyton think of her?"

Nick chuckled lightly as he recalled the meeting between his daughter and his girlfriend the previous week. It started off with an awkward silence and ended with a tantrum – from both girls involved. "Nothing good, I'm sure. They didn't exactly hit it off when they met. Selena's not so good with kids. She tried, I think, which I guess is a good sign. But Peyton wasn't having it. It'll be hard for her to adjust to, I guess..."

"She probably thinks Selena's trying to steal her daddy away from her," Joe said, looking deep in thought – which was rare for him. "She's never had to share you before. I heard that's common with kids who've grown up with one parent. When that parent starts to date, it freaks them out."

Nick nodded. "Something like that. I'm trying to get them to warm up to each other, though. Selena's making us dinner tonight. It was her idea; she thought maybe P would like her better if she did something nice for us. Then maybe I can get them talking and they won't hate each other so much."

"Good luck," Joe said seriously. "P's a tough cookie. Leave them alone for two minutes and you'll probably come back to see them brawling on the floor."

Nick had to laugh at the image. "The sad thing is that Peyton would probably win."

The brothers shared a laugh and then Nick glanced at his watch. "We should probably get going. I have to get Peyton from dance class, and then I promised I'd take her shopping for a new outfit to wear for the dinner tonight. Thought that might make the idea more inviting. She never passes up an opportunity to go shopping."

Joe smiled brightly as he and his little brother said their goodbyes. An image flashed through his mind of a very pregnant seventeen-year-old girl buried in a pile of baby clothes. _"She'll be a little shopaholic, just like you," he'd said to her, laughing. "Definitely," Miley had said with a grin, "I'll make sure she is."_

**Thurs. August 4, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 6:34 p.m. **

"Eat your food, P," Nick mumbled. The night hadn't exactly been going great already, but he had a feeling things were about to go downhill fast. He wondered if he was going about this the wrong way; maybe he was forcing them on each other. He and Selena weren't even that serious...maybe he should have waited a bit longer to introduce his daughter to her. Peyton was usually so cheery and well behaved... It seemed Selena brought out the worst in her, and vice versa.

"No," Peyton said defiantly, as she continued to push her spaghetti around with her fork. "I don't want to. It's yucky."

"Peyton!" Nick scolded. "That wasn't nice. Selena worked very hard to make that for us."

"Well, she didn't do a very good job..." Peyton stabbed a meatball with her fork and held it up in front of her, staring at it with a look of disgust very similar to the one Selena was giving her.

"Peyton Lucas," Nick growled. "That's _enough. _One more comment like that and you'll be in your room for the rest of the night. Now apologize and eat your food."

Peyton mumbled something that sounded vaguely like an apology and Selena nodded. "She just gets more and more adorable every time I see her," she said to Nick, her voice dripping with so much snotty sarcasm that he wanted to smack her. Sure his daughter wasn't being very sweet, but that didn't exactly give her the right to act the same way. She was the adult, after all.

Peyton must have been thinking the same thing because she announced, in a voice that sounded innocent but bratty at the same time, "I don't even like spaghetti."

"Peyton," Nick said quietly. "You love spaghetti."

"Not when she makes it."

Selena stepped in. "But sweetie, I made it just because I knew it was your favorite food," she said, her voice as fake as the smile on her face.

Peyton flashed her own fake smile and said, in a surprisingly good imitation of the woman's obnoxious voice, "Like I said, you didn't do a very good job."

"That's it, Peyton, go to your room," Nick said quickly.

"No!" Peyton crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, her mother's pout taking over her face. Nick raised his eyebrows, surprised. Peyton rarely got into trouble anyway, but when she did, she cooperated. Every time he had ever sent her to her room, she had apologized and gone without a fight.

"I gave you an order, young lady!" He raised his voice slightly. His daughter was unfazed.

"_No!" _She climbed up so she was standing on her chair, showing that she didn't care what he said. "I don't wanna!"

"Little girls should listen to their fathers," Selena mumbled casually before taking another bite of her dinner. She was trying to make it sound as if she were talking to herself, but staring right at Peyton as she said it. Shocked, Nick opened his mouth to silence her, but his daughter beat him to it.

"You shut up!" she cried, pointing a tiny finger at Selena. "You shouldn't even be here! We're just fine without you!"

Nick's fork clattered against his plate as he rapidly stood up from the table. _"Peyton Destiny Hope Lucas, go to your room right now!"_

"No!" By now tears were streaming down Peyton's red cheeks. "I get to stay if _she _does!"

Selena jumped to her feet too. "Listen, Brat," she hissed, the false sweetness completely gone. "You ought to start respecting me. I could end up your mother in a matter of months and I don't put up with this crap the way your dad does."

In less than a second a handful Peyton's uneaten dinner was flying across the table right into Selena's shocked face. She yelped and shot the little girl a murderous look, but – much to Nick's relief – didn't retaliate.

"You're _not _my mother!" Nick winced as his daughters voice ripped through at least two octaves. He had never seen Peyton so angry. "You're not my mother and you never ever will be! Not even _close!"_

And with that, Peyton jumped to the floor and ran to her room, screaming all the way and slamming the door as hard as she could when she got there.

_Well then. _That_ went well._ Nick almost smiled as he pictured Joe's reaction to this story.

Nick and Selena looked at each other for a moment, an awkward silence falling over them. Silently, Nick grabbed a towel from the kitchen and handed it to her. She nodded in thanks and went to work wiping her face and scrubbing spaghetti sauce out of her hair.

"I'm really sorry; she's never like that..." Nick mumbled awkwardly. "I'm gonna go...uh...I'll be right back..." Selena nodded silently and Nick started down the hallway to his daughter's bedroom.

Sighing, Selena sat back down at the table, resting her chin in her hands. She was fed up with that little brat. She'd tried being nice; it was the kid who kept starting it. She hated children anyway. But she was hopelessly in love with a man who adored them and happened to have one of his own, so she would just have to learn to deal. He would probably expect her to give him more kids someday.

She tilted her head to the side as she thought about that. Maybe she could go all wicked-step-mother and send Peyton off to boarding school somewhere. With two or three other, better kids, Nick probably wouldn't even care. She _would _get her way, no matter what that little monster tried to do about it. She would teach that child a lesson one way or another. Peyton would be pleasant to her and they would pretend to get along. And she would be an obedient little flower girl and then just keep her mouth shut all the time until she was old enough to be shipped off to some British boarding school.

Smirking, Selena brought her fork to her mouth and continued her dinner alone.

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**Go Peyton. :D Reviews please?**


	4. Chapter Three

**Hey guys! So this chapter pretty much sucks. It's kind of a filler to set up Nick and Miley's meeting (yay!). Next one will be more interesting. As always, dedicated to all the awesome people who reviewed: smileymee16, BriiaNa., nileyfan1, iluvjb4ever123, lcxx916, nienlovesjonas, and xsamsmileyy. The reviews were so sweet and encouraging, thanks everyone! (:**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything...**

**NOTE: Peyton is four. I think I mentioned it already, but someone asked, so I'm telling you all to avoid any confusion. (: Yes, she's really smart for four...haha.**

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"_You're_ not_ my mother!" Nick winced as his daughters voice ripped through at least two octaves. He had never seen Peyton so angry. "You're not my mother and you never ever will be! Not even close!"_

_And with that, Peyton jumped to the floor and ran to her room, screaming all the way and slamming the door as hard as she could when she got there._

**Thurs. August 4, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 6:47 p.m. **

Nick quietly opened the door to his daughter's room and stepped inside. Peyton was curled up in her bed, either sleeping or pretending to be.

He walked over to the other side of her bed to see her face, and his heart nearly broke at the sight. She looked so very small and pitiful lying there all curled up in a ball, cradling Chewie and Miley's picture to her chest. She was trying very hard to pretend to be asleep – probably to get out of her punishment – and was doing a pretty good job of it, except that tears were still slipping down her cheeks.

"I know you're not asleep, P," he whispered gently, reaching out and lightly stroking her hair. She opened her eyes slowly to reveal a flurry of emotions in the big blue orbs. "Daddy..." was all she said as she leaned forward and latched onto his chest, snuggling up to him and crying into his shoulder.

He just held her for a moment, thinking about what he should say to her. Should he scold her? Or would that be too harsh. He held in a groan – this single parenting thing just never got any easier.

Finally she let him go and they sat side by side on her little pink bed. "You know that how you acted out there was wrong, right?" he started finally. "You know better than that. I'm very disappointed in you."

She nodded silently, looking very tiny and sad like a lost puppy. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to. She made me mad."

Nick nodded, not really knowing what to say. "What exactly did she do that made you so mad?"

Peyton looked away from him and shrugged. "I don't know. She just did. She tried to talk to me like she was my mom. And she's not."

"No, she's not. No one will ever replace your mother, for either one of us. I promise."

Peyton only sniffled and avoided his eyes.

"I don't like her," she finally said. Nick laughed. "I kind of figured that." Peyton giggled a little, but quickly turned serious again. "I mean it. I really, really don't like her. And she doesn't like me either. Please don't marry her, Daddy."

Nick's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about marriage?"

"She did. The first time we met."

"What do you mean?"

She looked up into his eyes. "At the restaurant, remember? You went to the bathroom and you wanted us to talk. But she wouldn't say anything and she was ignoring me like she didn't like me. So I asked how long she was gonna be around and she said probably forever, 'cuz you and her were probably gonna get married."

She grabbed his chin with both of her little hands and pulled his head down so he was looking directly into her baby blues. "And that would make her my step-mommy. But she doesn't like me. And if your step-mommy doesn't like you then she makes you work for her like Cinderella, or she sends you away. Everyone knows that. That's why you can't marry her."

Nick wasn't quite sure what to say to that. What the heck was wrong with Selena? When she'd told him she had no idea how to talk to a young child, she wasn't exaggerating. And _marriage? _They'd been dating for like two months. If she was really thinking that far ahead, she was due for a reality check.

"First of all, Selena and I are not getting married. And if we ever did, it would be a long, _long _time from now and I would never do it unless you were okay with it. And I would make sure she didn't make you work for her or send you away. Got it?"

Peyton nodded, and mumbled quietly, "Got it."

"Second, I'm sure she likes you just fine. She's just not used to being around kids your age. She doesn't know how to talk to you. That doesn't mean she hates you, okay?"

She wasn't convinced, but she said it anyway because she knew he wanted her to. "Okay, Daddy."

He reached out to brush her hair out of her eyes. "And you shouldn't hate her either. I know you guys haven't really clicked yet, but please try. Be patient with her. For me."

"Okay, Daddy," she said again, subconsciously tracing the letters on the bottom of Chewie's paw.

"That's my girl," Nick whispered, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her head. They were quiet for a minute.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

Nick threw his head back and laughed, and after a second Peyton joined in. "Well, I think it's safe to say spaghetti is off the menu for tonight. How about I send Selena home and we do take-out and a movie, just you and me?"

Peyton's face lit up. "Can we watch _The Little Mermaid?_"

Nick chuckled. "Sure, whatever you want. But P, no matter how many times you watch it, it will always stay the same."

Peyton giggled. She had seen _The Little Mermaid _so many times she practically knew it word for word – and Nick almost did, too. It was her favorite movie of all time. "I know, Daddy," she said. "But I still like to watch it. It's special."

Nick smiled slightly. "Oh yeah? Why is it special?"

"It's Mommy's movie," she said, as if she was stating a well-known fact. "You said before I was born Mommy wanted to name me Ariel. She thought it was beautiful." Nick smiled as she struggled adorably over the last word.

"And you said she loved to swim and she used to say that if she named me Ariel I would be her little mermaid." She giggled a little and added, "Just like I'm _your_ little mermaid, right?"

Nick smiled at her. She had been two years old when he told her that story. He never expected her to remember it. He chuckled slightly; finally there was an explanation for his daughter's obsession with Princess Ariel. "Right. You're my little mermaid and my little princess." He kissed the tip of her nose and she laughed. Her mother's laugh.

"And you're the king," she told him, kissing the tip of his nose as well and then giving him an Eskimo kiss. "Of course," he smiled, standing up and pulling her into his arms.

"Now would the princess be so kind as to apologize to our guest while I clear the table?"

Peyton nodded, wrinkling her nose curiously. "That's it? You're not gonna punish me?"

Nick laughed a little. "After all this, I think you've been punished enough." He jokingly looked around as if to make sure no one was listening, and leaned down close to her ear. "And just between you and me, I didn't think it tasted very good either."

**Sat. August 13, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 12:17 p.m.**

Nick sighed, cradling the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he tossed a few of Peyton's toys into her little purple backpack. He folded up an extra outfit and stuffed it in as well – he had learned from experience that whenever Peyton didn't have extra clothes, she got messy.

"I'm still not sure about this, Sel," he mumbled into the phone as he grabbed Peyton's toothbrush from the bathroom. "You know I'm not the nightclub type. I can't even dance. And I don't really like alcohol, either. Do I sound like I belong in a club?"

"Come on, Nicky," she cooed, and he winced. "I told you not to call me that."

She ignored him. "You never get to go out and act like a twenty-one-year-old. Dancing and drinking is a hell of a lot more fun than Barbies and piggyback rides, I promise. Besides, we'll finally get to spend some really good time alone together."

Nick rolled his eyes and started folding Peyton's pajamas. "We could spend time together somewhere else, and maybe earlier in the day. I feel like a total ass dumping my kid on my parents for the night so I can go party with my girlfriend."

"Well, this way we can go back to your place afterwards and spend more time together," she purred, and he sighed. He could tell she was smirking as he rolled his eyes again and opened the top drawer of Peyton's dresser.

"No sex. You know that. We haven't even been dating that long."

"Oh, please. Like you're so freaking serious about waiting to have sex. You had a kid at seventeen."

That struck a nerve and he slammed the drawer so hard the whole dresser shook violently. Sighing, he reached over and picked up the picture frame that had fallen over. "That was different."

"How so?"

"_None of your business," _he hissed, trying to remember why he had opened the drawer in the first place.

"Geez. Sensitive subject, I get it."

"Good. Don't bring it up again. Now hang on a second." Nick pulled the phone away from his ear and yelled for his daughter.

"What?" she yelled back from the living room.

"I'm packing your bag for Nana and Papa's. Come tell me if I missed anything."

"Coming!"

Nick held the phone back up to his ear and sat down on Peyton's bed as she entered the room and started looking through the bag. "Anyway. I'll be at your place at 6. Please consider doing something different after we eat, because I still don't think I wanna go through with the original plan."

"Don't say that, it'll be fun!"

Nick sighed and ran a hand through his messy curls. "Maybe. I gotta go, okay? See you tonight."

"Mkay, bye Nicky!"

He ignored it that time – it was useless anyway. "Bye." He hung up and looked down at his daughter. "So?"

"You forgot my brush. That's it."

Nick smiled. "Ahh, I'm getting better at this!" He grabbed Peyton's hairbrush and dropped it into the bag before zipping it up and giving her a high-five as she giggled. "What do you think? All set?"

"All set."

**Sat. August 13, 2013, Miley's Hotel Suite, Hollywood, California, 12:17 p.m.**

"Are you sure?"

Miley's new friend smiled at her. They had met just last week when they ran into each other – literally – in the airport when Miley first landed, and she'd helped Miley find a place to stay and get to know the city. They had an amazing connection; it was as if they had known each other their whole lives.

"Positive. This place is awesome, you'll love it. Besides, everyone knows that the first thing a hot, single young women should do in Hollywood is hit the clubs with her hot, single friend. Duh."

Miley snickered. "Conceited much?"

Taylor gave a sly smile as she flipped through one of Miley's photo albums. "Just a little."

Both girls laughed as they turned the page and examined each other's photos. It was an old tradition of Taylor's whenever she met a new friend – they swapped pictures to get to know each other. It was actually a really fun time as it brought on a lot of stories and laughs and was good for bonding. This time she was treading a little more cautiously though – Miley said she lost her memory in an accident and couldn't remember anything earlier than age seventeen. Perhaps a trip down memory lane wasn't the best idea...?

"Aw, who are these little cuties?" Miley asked suddenly, pointing to a series of pictures of Taylor with a lot of four- or five-year-old girls. Taylor smiled as she looked at the picture. "The one with the pigtails is my cousin Anna, and the rest are all her little friends. Those are from her fourth birthday party last month. I planned the whole thing and it was such a big hit...we did a piñata and games and music and everything. All the little girls in town love me now." The girls laughed as Miley looked over all of the adorable pictures.

Suddenly one of them caught her attention and she stared at it intently. It was a cute, simple picture of the little birthday girl and one of her friends, with their arms around each other and noise makers hanging out of their smiling mouths. But for some reason this picture was mesmerizing her. Something about the little girl's friend. She was a beautiful little girl – big blue eyes, a cute little button nose and a giant smile, with tons of wild dark curls sticking out from under her party hat. Something about this girl was so familiar to her in a strange way. Something very powerful was pulling her to this child. It was similar to how she had felt when she saw the news story from Hollywood, but much stronger.

"Tay," she said, pointing to the girl in the picture. "What do you know about this little girl?" Taylor leaned over for a better look and smiled slightly at the sight of the familiar face. "Oh, that's Peyton Lucas. Real sweetheart. I dated her uncle for a while last year. She and her dad live not too far from here..."

"Just her dad? What happened to her mom?" Miley asked, concern evident in her voice. She was confused. Why did she care so much for a child she had never even met?

Taylor's smile took on a hint of sadness. "No one knows really. I don't even think Peyton knows. Everyone figures she died or walked out on them. Her dad, Nick, is really young, about your age. He was like sixteen or seventeen when she was born. I think maybe her mom couldn't handle the stress of being a teen mom and just left."

Miley traced the little girl's features with her hand. The thought of that beautiful little angel growing up without a mother pained her. The more she thought about it, this little girl kind of looked like her...

She shook her head. Strange coincidence, nothing more.

"So the uncle you dated never told you anything?"

Taylor wrinkled her nose. "Joe? Nah. I asked him once and he said it was a really long story and no one outside the family knew about it. I didn't push it..."

Miley nodded. Something about this little girl was just perplexing her...

She shook her head once again. Nonsense. She smiled at Taylor, trying to push the little angel face to the back of her mind. "Enough of this depressing talk. C'mon, let's go get ready to party!"

Taylor giggled and grabbed her hand, yanking her off of the bed. "Yay! Shopping!"

Miley laughed as she was dragged out of her suite. Then the little girl's face flashed in front of her eyes suddenly and it almost made her dizzy. What was wrong with her? Obsessing over some random child she had only ever seen in a picture? God, that made her sound like a pervert. She had to think of other things and get that little girl out of her head.

But as she was hit by another image of that angelic face smiling at her, she realized it wasn't going to be that easy.

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**Ugh. That was boring, I know. Next chapter will be the events of the club and the begining of Nick and Miley's 'reuinion'. Exciting! (: Just a little hint: It will come faster with reviews.**


	5. Chapter Four

**OHEMGEE****. I got so many reviews for the last chapter that I was literally jumping for joy. I don't know if it seems like a lot to you guys, but it does to me. Thanks! You guys are the BEST! So I just had to update really soon. (: This chapter is dedicated to: ****BriiaNa., smileymee16, mamizukee, iluvjb4ever123, nienlovesjonas, jenny, lcxx916, disneyfan453, smileeex8, LaLaLax6, DancingAngel(dot)Forever, ILOVETHISSOFREAKINMUCH (great name, btw :D), nileyfan1, Mz Fizzle, JustJulz, and mcandnj61106. Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: Gah. You guys know the drill.**

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**Sat. August 13, 2013, Nick's Parents' House, Hollywood, California, 5:23 p.m.**

"Thanks again, Mom," Nick sighed as he leaned against the wall, smiling slightly as he watched his dad interacting with his daughter. She smiled at him and replied, "It's no problem, Honey. Really. But you don't sound very excited about your night out...?"

Nick looked at his feet. "I'm not. Not really. I mean, I know I _should _be. It's just that I feel like I don't know how to go out and have fun with other people my age. And I'm not sure I want to see my girlfriend drunk." His mother laughed lightly and he joined in, but sadly he wasn't really joking. "I feel bad about leaving Peyton too..."

"Don't worry about that. We'll have lots of fun together," she said with a smile. He thought back to the days of his childhood, when that smile could make everything better. Oh, if only things could be that simple again...

"I know you will. She really doesn't get to spend enough time with you guys." He sighed again and glanced at his watch. "I better get going. I'll pick her up around nine tomorrow morning. I wrote a little note to her and left it in her bag for you to read to her before bed, okay?"

"Okay. Try to enjoy yourself, sweetie."

Nick smiled and gave his mother a hug before walking over to his daughter. "Okay, P, you be good alright?"

"Alright..." She pouted slightly. "Are you _sure _you have to go?"

_Unfortunately, _he thought. "Yeah, I'm sure honey," he said with a chuckle. "I'll be back tomorrow morning though, okay? Have fun with Nana and Papa." He leaned down and gave her a hug and a kiss before telling her and his parents goodbye.

Only in the safety of his car did he allow the groan he had been fighting back all day to leave his throat. It was going to be a _long _night...

**Sat. August 13, 2013, Some Club I Was Too Lazy To Name, Hollywood, California, 10:30 p.m.**

Miley smiled at Taylor as they danced together in the center of the dance floor. She was vaguely aware of the men gaping at them, but they had already agreed to ignore the guys unless they each found one so hot they absolutely couldn't ignore him. Still, it was nice to know they were drawing attention and she laughed a little as she moved to the rhythm of the music.

Miley loved dancing. She flirted with the crowd for a little and then closed her eyes, letting the beat flow through her and take complete control of her body.

"Damn girl, you could be a professional!" Taylor called over the music, and Miley laughed.

"I'm serious! You're like the best dancer I've ever seen!"

"Thanks, Tay," Miley giggled out as the girls grew tired and retreated to the bar. They sipped on their drinks for a while as they watched the wild dance moves of the drunken people around them. How they had managed to get so wasted so early in the night was beyond Miley. She didn't much care for the idea of being drunk, and she had promised herself that she wouldn't wake up the next morning with a hangover, so she knew she had to limit the amount of alcohol consumed that night.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom," Taylor told her when they had finished their drinks. "You can go back out and dance if you want – It won't be too hard for me to find you with the huge crowd you draw."

The girls laughed and then Taylor shoved her way through the mob of people until she was completely out of sight. Miley decided to wait until she came back to go back out to the dance floor – needless to say she had never done anything like this back home in Tennessee, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face it without a friend.

Suddenly that little girl's face entered her mind again and she sighed. Peyton Lucas. She smiled slightly. She loved the name Peyton; she planned on giving it to her first daughter. Peyton Ariel...

Her thoughts were interrupted when a tall figure staggered up to her. "Hey, Sexy," the man slurred, and Miley gave him a look of disgust. His whole being seemed to reek of alcohol and he looked pretty disoriented. "I saw you dancin' out there," he mumbled to her, pressing his body tightly against hers. Miley shrieked and tried to push him away. "Don't pretend you don't like it," he groaned into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her, and she practically threw up as his beer-scented breath hit her nose. "Get off of me!" She screamed, twisting and turning in his arms as she tried to squirm free.

"Don't be that way, Baby," he slurred, hiccupping. "C'mon, let's go back to my place. You'll love it, I promise..."

She could barely understand his jumbled, drunken words. "No!" She screamed. _What the hell is taking Taylor so long? _she thought desperately as she started kicking wildly. "Let me go! Bastard!"

Suddenly the man yelped in pain and released her. She didn't stick around to find out where she'd kicked him. She needed to get out of there, fast. She'd call Taylor when she was somewhere safe. She pushed through the crowd as fast as she could in her heels and then yanked them off once she got out the door. Screw the shoes; she could make it to her car faster without them.

Then she remembered: They'd taken Taylor's car. And she didn't have a key.

_Fuck._

She couldn't go back in there. She would have to leg it. Sighing, she started walking swiftly down the street, praying she knew her way around the city well enough to get back to the hotel.

She started walking in the direction that she assumed would lead her back to safety. She walked quickly, but she didn't want to run for fear of drawing too much attention to herself. God knows what could happen to a girl all alone in the streets at night.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. The vividly familiar stench of beer overwhelmed her as another hand clapped over her mouth, muffling her scream. Suddenly she was lifted up and practically dragged away, with at least four pairs of hands all holding her down.

Finally her feet were rested back on the ground. Her back was pressed against a wall and as she frantically looked around she realized they were in the alley beside the club. The creep from the club was directly in front of her, his hand still over her mouth. Surrounding her were three other, equally creepy guys who were obviously also equally drunk.

They mumbled some obnoxious slurs to each other and suddenly the cronies started grabbing at Miley's clothes. Her mouth was released and the head man put his lips to her ear.

"Go ahead and scream, Bitch. No one is around to hear you."

Miley gulped, tears streaming down her cheeks as she felt the strap of her dress rip. The words _gang rape _flashed through her mind and her blood nearly boiled over as she heard their laughter and the horrible things they were saying to her.

She twisted around in the creep's arms, kicking and punching and begging and doing anything physically possible to get away, but he was stronger this time. And with his followers crowding around her on all sides, even if she had gotten out of his arms, she couldn't have gotten far.

Finally, she forced her panicked lungs to scream. She knew no one was around to hear, but she had to scream for help anyway. That way she could tell herself she had done all she could to stop it.

**Sat. August 13, 2013, Some Club I Was Too Lazy To Name, Hollywood, California, 10:30 p.m.**

He could play seven instruments. He could have any of his co-workers at the record company kissing his feet for his view on a song. He could pick out any band and tell you all the things they did right and all the things they did wrong. And he could sing pretty damn well, too. He was wonderful at almost all things involving music. But Nick Lucas simply could not dance.

"Come _on_. You are like the worst dancer ever."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks, Sel."

"Well, you are. Move your hips. And your feet. Do what I'm doing."

He was trying. Really, he was. It just didn't make sense to him. And the nagging wasn't helping much either...

"I _can't_," Nick growled._ "_I told you I hate dancing. Why don't we just take a break?"

Selena let out a long, drawn-out sigh and said, in a voice resembling a spoiled child who had just been told she actually had to wait for something, "Fine. Let's hit the bar."

Nick sighed. "Nothing for me. I'm driving, remember?"

"You can still have a little fun," she insisted as she took the first gulp of her drink. "You're a big boy; one or two drinks won't do anything."

"No," he told her sternly. "I don't do alcohol."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so uptight, Nicky..."

"Don't. Call. Me. That. Again."

They were both quiet for a minute. "Why do we fight so much?" she finally asked. Her voice was weak, almost shy. It was a tone he had never heard from her before.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess...I haven't had a girlfriend in four years. Maybe I don't remember how."

She looked into his eyes. "You're doing pretty well."

"Thanks."

Awkward silence.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

She looked up into his brown eyes again. "I love you."

_Whoa. _Nick was instantly grateful that he hadn't gotten a drink, because he surely would have spit it out just then. She...she _loved _him? After two months? His head was spinning. He had always known she felt more for him than he did for her, but he didn't know she was actually in love with him. She couldn't be. Not yet. Not until he could get himself to fall in love with her too.

Her face was looking more and more hurt every second that he hesitated and he forced his mouth to open. "I..."

He should have lied. He should have told her that he loved her too. He could fake it. How would she know the difference? She had never seen him in love. He should have just said it.

"I..."

But he couldn't say it. Because it wasn't true. He was still desperately in love with a woman who had been yanked out of his life four years ago. He loved her – her and only her. No one else.

"I-I need some air..." he muttered finally as he stumbled out of his chair and headed for the door. He didn't look back at her face to see how much pain he had just caused her. Because if he had, it would just be one more thing he could never forgive himself for.

He pushed and shoved through the throngs of people and rushed out the door, breathing as heavily as someone who had just completed a marathon.

He started walking aimlessly in whichever direction his feet felt like taking. He couldn't notice anything going on around him. He was lost in thoughts; lost in memories. Lost in pain.

Suddenly, something broke him out of his trance. Someone screamed. A loud, ear-splitting scream that reminded him of a horror movie. It was a girl. He looked around for the source and as if on cue, she screamed again. Suddenly he was standing in front of an alley, his eyes widening in horror as he registered four men ripping clothing off of a woman. Her face and most of her body was hidden from him, but it wasn't difficult to fill in the gaps. They were going to rape her.

Nick knew he should have done something, but he was paralyzed with shock. Then the woman screamed again. But this time, she used words.

"Help me! Somebody, anybody! Please! _Help me!_"

Nick let out a choked gasp, stumbling backwards in shock as the sound hit his ears. A few tears spilled out of his eyes and he struggled to breath. Because he knew that voice.

_Miley..._

He knew it was a crazy thing to think. Maybe Selena had somehow given him alcohol during the night without him realizing and he was drunk. Maybe he was just dreaming. Or maybe he had finally lost his mind. There was no way...it just wasn't possible.

And yet it had to be. He knew that voice. He dreamed of that voice almost every night. There was simply no mistaking it.

"Miley..." he whispered it out loud that time, like somehow that would make it seem more real. He craned his neck as far as possible and one of the men happened to move at that exact moment, and he saw her face. Miley's beautiful, perfect face. It really was her.

She looked different – older, obviously, and even more beautiful than he had remembered. But he didn't have time to take it all in because he snapped his head away.

He knew he should have kept walking. His daughter's life depended on it. He had to stay far away from Miley. But her face, her expression...it was so familiar. She was broken and helpless, just like she had been those fragile days after the accident.

But this time, there was something he could do about it.

Miley screamed for help again, and one of the men – the leader, apparently – smacked her.

And the very next thing Nick registered after that was the sound and feel of his fist smashing into the man's nose.

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**Bit of a cliffy maybe? :D Nick's reaction will be further explored in the next chapter...right now he's kind of in shock, haha. So if you want to read about that then I guess you should review! Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes in this chapter...spell check was being evil.**


	6. Chapter Five

**Not gonna say much this time because I know you guys are dying to read this one :D Hope it doesn't disappoint! Dedicated to: ****converselovex, DancingAngel(dot)Forever, lcxx916, Mz Fizzle, nienlovesjonas, smileeex8, smileymee16, KatMaura, xohmanitskatt, nileyfan1, JustJulz, iluvjb4ever123, kness25, TooLazyToName, MileyAndNickLoveForever, and two people with no names haha.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

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_Miley screamed for help again, and one of the men – the leader, apparently – smacked her._

_And the very next thing Nick registered after that was the sound and feel of his fist smashing into the man's nose._

**Sat. August 13, 2013, The Alley Beside the Club, Hollywood, California, 10:54 p.m.**

"Ouch! What the fuck?" The drunkard's words mixed with a sickening crack as he stumbled backwards, blood gushing from his face. His hands shot up to his broken nose, and he moaned in pain. Without a second thought, Nick took advantage of the opportunity and slammed his fist into the man's gut. He staggered backwards against the wall, shouting out slurs that Nick couldn't decipher. Suddenly he was aware of someone else's breath on his neck. He would finish that one off later...

He swiftly turned to the right and threw a punch, feeling his fist connect with what seemed to be somebody's chin. A second man fell to the ground groaning and Nick whipped around, kicking another one of them in the worst place a man could possibly be kicked. That one gasped, falling to the ground, and he screamed as Nick dug the heel of his shoe into his stomach.

Nick looked up, locking eyes with the last of the men for about a second. In an instant the man was gone, running down the street.

"You better run, Bastard!" Nick screamed after him, as he lifted his foot and smashed it into one of the attacker's noses. That man screamed and whimpered in pain as the coward looked over his shoulder with wide, fearful eyes, and then sped up as he turned a corner.

Satisfied, at least for the time being, Nick turned to Miley.

She was cowering against the wall, trying to cover herself with her hands and the remains of her torn dress. She was sobbing and shaking, and Nick wanted nothing more to wrap his arms around her and comfort her and love her.

But of course he couldn't do that. He had to be careful here. Either Miley thought he was a complete stranger, or a complete ass. For the millionth time in four years, he wondered if Miley remembered him or not. And now that the unthinkable had happened and they were face to face, he wasn't sure which one would be easier to deal with.

Looking around, he noticed that two of the men had fallen unconscious and the third was very close to it, still groaning lightly in pain. Nick shook his head, angrily running his fingers through his tousled curls. Only then did he remember the blood that was all over his right hand, but at the moment he didn't care.

Ever so slowly, he leaned down to Miley's level. She remained silent except for her sniffles and whimpers, and he kept his distance to keep from scaring her. "Are you okay?" he finally said gently.

After a few seconds, she nodded. "T-thank you," she whispered, so quiet that it was barely audible. "So much..." He nodded.

"Are you hurt?" was his next question. She shook her head, swallowing hard. "Not physically," she mumbled. "Just a few bumps and bruises..."

Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for who knows how long, neither one moving for fear of breaking the bond.

At that moment, Miley thought she might have been even more frightened than she had been when the creeps were attacking her. This man...this perfect stranger who had rescued her...she felt something so strong for him that it terrified her. She had no idea what it was, but it somehow felt familiar. It was something like a strong longing, a need to be close to him and never leave his side. When she looked into his eyes nothing else in the world existed; nothing else mattered. Only him.

Naturally, he was feeling the same things. But in different ways.

Both of them felt that they should say something, but neither could find words. Just as Nick opened his mouth to try to fill the silence, he closed it again and both of them looked around the corner at the sound of police sirens.

A police car pulled up and stopped beside them, successfully blocking the only way out of the alley. Upon closer inspection, Nick noticed the coward who had run away sitting in the back.

An officer got out and walked up to them, muttering something into his two-way radio. A second man got out of the car and pulled the coward out with him. Nick stood up, walking towards the first officer, who nodded at him and then Miley, who was still cowering against the wall. "Hello," the man started politely. "Do either of you recognize this man?" The second officer pushed the prisoner forward slightly as he stared blankly ahead.

Both of them nodded immediately. "He-he was trying to rape me," Miley said, struggling to raise her voice above a whisper. "Him and his friends over here."

"I heard her yelling and came to help her, and he ran away while I was fighting off the other three," Nick finished, giving the drunken prisoner a pointed glare. But the man now looked sober, as if he'd been snapped back to his senses. His face was guilty, almost apologetic, and when Nick looked a little closer he noticed tears shimmering in his eyes.

The first officer nodded, looking around at the three passed-out bodies around his feet. "Sounds like the stories match up..." He looked back up at Miley, then at Nick. "He ran into the station and confessed. Gave all his buddies up without a fight and told us to get here quick before they tried to run for it too."

Shocked, both Nick and Miley stared at the handcuffed man, and he gave the second officer a frightened look as if asking permission to speak. The officer nodded and he cleared his throat, looking straight into Miley's eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry. I was so drunk...I didn't know what I was doing, I just went along with my friends. And then when you came and stopped us..." He turned to Nick. "I guess I just snapped out of it. I was so ashamed of myself, and my friends..."

He looked down, swallowing hard, and then looked back up at Miley.

"I really hope we didn't hurt you. I'm so sorry..."

The second officer pulled him back and he fell silent, looking down at his feet as he was led back to the car.

Everything was a blur for Miley as she watched the other men, still unconscious, being shoved into the car and she went through all the technicalities with the officers. She learned that the amazing stranger's name was Nick Lucas, and that he seemed to know she was staring at him because he kept glancing at her the whole time they were together. The force holding her to him was controlling her whole body. Every breath, every movement was for him. She lived for him.

She lived for this man she had just met. She lived for him and she would die for him. And that was the scariest feeling in the world.

Sometime later the officers and the creeps were gone, and the two were all alone together.

"So..." Nick started finally, looking up into her still frightened eyes. "Would you like a ride home or something?"

Suddenly the thought of going back to her suite was the most terrifying thought in the world. It wasn't as if she would be the only one in the hotel of course, but she didn't want to be all alone. All alone, feeling vulnerable and afraid. Alone, just as she had been when that drunkard came up to her in the club.

Without even thinking, she shook her head violently, looking up at him with wide eyes. "No. I mean...uh, I don't have any family or anything here, and I really don't want to be alone..." He nodded with understanding.

Taking a deep breath, she concluded: "I need to call my friend Taylor. Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah..." he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. Silently, Miley dialed the number and held it up to her ear, biting her lip. She pondered how to explain what happened..._ So while you were in the bathroom these four guys tried to rape me...no, stop screaming, I'm fine now..._

She was surprised when she got Taylor's voicemail.

She cursed under her breath before leaving a quick message and then hanging up. She passed Nick's phone back to him and, upon noticing the look of concern he was giving her, explained: "She was in the club with me...I'm guessing she panicked when she couldn't find me and left her phone somewhere. She doesn't think very well under pressure." She chuckled slightly, even though there wasn't any humor in the situation. It seemed she would have no choice but to be alone for the night...

Suddenly she felt a tear sliding down her face.

"Don't cry," Nick begged. He couldn't even fathom how painful it was to see her cry.

"I...I-I-I'm scared to be alone tonight..." she whispered finally, her voice sounding small and pained and a little embarrassed.

"Is there another friend you can stay with?"

She shook her head. "I just moved here a couple weeks ago...I don't even have a house yet. I'm staying in a hotel." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were trying to comfort herself with a hug. "I don't know anyone else here."

He didn't give his brain time to process the words and stop them before they came out of his mouth: "Would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

Her eyes widened. "I couldn't do that..."

He shook his head. "It's no trouble. I'll sleep better anyway, knowing that you're safe." He smiled slightly at her. "You can sleep in my bed; I'll take the couch. Or the floor if you don't want to be alone in the room."

She knew she should have said no. This guy...this guy who had gone from a random stranger to her knight in shining armor, who had saved her even though he didn't have to...she couldn't ask for anything more from him. But she just couldn't say no. This feeling she had for him, whatever it was, was too powerful for her to fight. She needed to be near him.

Finally, she managed a weak nod and a quiet, "Okay."

Nick was beyond angry at himself for even offering. He had already put his little girl's life in danger and now he was going to keep his hand in the fire until both of them got burned. Surely Miley would call her father after such a horrifying experience and surely she would mention him. And he would have to uproot his daughter and drag her to another state – maybe even another country – without even telling his family and live the rest of his life in fear. He was so stupid and selfish...but Miley had an amazing power over him, and he couldn't fight it. He would do anything in the world to make her happy...and if that meant offering her a spot in his bed for a night or two, he was more than happy to comply.

He was sure by now that Miley didn't remember him. He would have to act like he didn't know her and most importantly, she couldn't know about Peyton. Maybe if she thought he was just some stranger then there would be no reason to be afraid...

He painted a smile on his face and stood up, offering her his hand. Hesitantly, she took it and pulled herself up. She tried to thank him again, but she couldn't get the words out.

She was too far gone, tumbling headfirst into those deep brown eyes.

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 12:14 a.m.**

Nick yanked open the door of Peyton's bedroom and tossed the things he had collected inside – a few toys, some shoes, a blanket. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed everything pink and girly from the counters and cabinets, and then quickly rushed down the hall and threw those in to. Miley absolutely could not know that a child lived here.

He collected all of Peyton's 'artwork' and presents from his bedroom and laid them carefully on her bed, and then grabbed the Elmo beach towel from the closet and tossed that in too.

He moved on to the laundry room, opting to simply put the hamper in Peyton's room instead of looking through it to get all of her clothes out. He grabbed some picture books off of various shelves and gathered all of the DVDs that no man without a child would possibly have.

With one last look around the house, he was satisfied that he'd gotten everything. Carefully, he pulled the sign off of her bedroom door, setting it on the dresser. Then he shut the door and locked it, just in case.

He smiled slightly, impressed with himself. He walked into his bedroom and found the smallest shirt he owned and a pair of basketball shorts. He found a hairbrush too – from what he remembered about Miley, she would be thankful for that – and then stood beside the bathroom door to wait for Miley, thankful that she had asked to go in there right away since it gave him the chance to hide Peyton's things.

Meanwhile, Miley was cringing at the sight of her reflection in the mirror. She looked even more horrible than she had thought. Her make-up had run all over her face and her hair was a matted mess, not to mention her ripped up clothes and pale, bruised skin. All of this was to be expected of a girl in her situation, of course, but that didn't necessarily make her feel any better about it. Something about Nick made her want to always look perfect in front of him.

She washed her face slowly, enjoying the feeling of the warm water against her skin. She truly was glad that she didn't have to be alone after something so traumatic. She was alone right then in the bathroom of course, but Nick had promised to stay near the door, and something about him just forced her to believe him.

She did her best to brush her hair with her fingers, but it was a lost cause. Sighing, she peeled off the remnants of her once-beautiful dress and stepped into the shower, trying with all her strength to wash away the night's events.

When he heard the water stop, Nick knocked on the door lightly. "Miley? I got you some clothes, and a brush..."

The door opened and Miley, hiding her body behind the door, smiled at him and reached out to take the clothes from him. "Thanks..." He nodded, smiling, and she closed the door again.

Moments later she emerged, dressed in the clothes he'd given her, her hair silky and smooth. She smiled a little, twirling around for him to see her in his clothes.

He just barely managed to stop his jaw from dropping. They were too big, but somehow they still fit her perfectly, hugging her curves and hanging off of her tiny frame at the same time. Oh, how he had missed seeing her in his clothes...

An image flashed before his eyes of his fourteenth Christmas, when there was a big snowstorm and they got snowed in. Miley had been forced to spend the night and he'd given her a sweatshirt and some pajama bottoms to wear. He never got them back. They had been so young and innocent and he remembered how truly happy, almost proud, he had felt when he saw her wearing his clothes. She was _his._

"Looks so much better on you than me," he told her sincerely as he snapped back to the present, and she giggled a little, but it turned into a yawn before she could stop it.

He smiled gently. "Tired?"

She laughed and nodded, blushing. He tenderly reached out and took her hand, leading her down the hall to his bedroom.

As they passed the kitchen he realized he had forgotten the pictures on the refrigerator. He felt like kicking himself, but he figured just pictures would be easy enough to play off if Miley happened to notice them. He would say she was a niece or something. Miley wouldn't know the difference...

"Here," he told her quietly when they reached his room. "You can sleep here...do you want me on the floor in here or on the couch?"

She blushed, looking worried. "Um...I know this sounds weird but...can you sleep in the bed with me?" She looked up at him and they locked eyes again. He saw the fear and vulnerability in her eyes. Without a second thought, he nodded. "Of course..."

A few minutes later, Nick walked out of his bathroom to see Miley laying carefully on his bed, and he could tell from her face that she felt out of place. He turned out the light and slowly slid under the covers beside her.

"Uh, can I..." she looked at him, biting her lip. Smiling, he held his arms out. "Sure."

She gave a grateful smile and snuggled up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so unbelievably good and perfect to hold her again. Holding her, protecting her...it was what he was supposed to be doing. And he knew she was right where she was supposed to be, wrapped up tightly in his arms, safe and sound.

She knew it too, though she didn't understand it, and the sense of comfort she got from feeling his body against hers was enough to lull her into a peaceful sleep.

Nick dreaded the thought of getting out of bed. It would break the amazing connection he and Miley had as they lay snuggled together in bed. It would ruin the illusion, and he would wake up and find that it was all just a dream. He wanted nothing more than to continue fooling himself and stay in bed with her for the rest of his life, stroking her hair as she slept.

But, he had another girl to think about. There was no way he would be able to get Peyton from his parents' house in the morning, and he had to find something to do with her until he could bring her home.

And he had to do it before Miley woke up.

But, for the time being, he decided that he could just enjoy being with his true love again, even if she didn't know that he loved her. It would be over all too soon...

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 6:45 a.m.**

"Hey, Mom," Nick said quietly into the phone. He was sitting at the kitchen table and it was probably impossible for Miley to hear him if she happened to wake up, but he was being careful anyway.

"Listen...I feel really, really horrible for asking this but...something really important came up, I promise I'll explain it all to you later, but is there any way you and Dad can keep Peyton for a little longer...or maybe even another day?"

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," his mother said, sounding concerned, "But we have to go get Frankie from the airport at ten; we were planning on leaving right after you picked her up." Only then did Nick remember that his thirteen-year-old brother had been staying with a friend in New Jersey for the last week.

"Oh, yeah," Nick mused quietly, "I forgot he was coming back today."

"I suppose we could try to take her with us, but with all of Frankie's luggage I don't know if there's room for another person in the car, and we don't have her booster seat..."

"No, I don't want you to go to any extra trouble," Nick insisted, running a hand through his hair roughly. He ended the conversation with his mother and tried his oldest brother, Kevin, next. Unfortunately, Kevin's wife and their two-year-old twins were all sick, so they were out of the question. He called Joe next, but got no answer. After calling four times, since he figured Joe was just sleeping, he gave up and tried some of his friends.

Thirty minutes after he started making calls, he had gotten nowhere. No one he called was available to babysit and he was getting desperate. Sighing, he stared at the phone, as if doing so would make it tell him who else he could call.

He jumped a little when it started ringing in his hand. He sighed when he checked the color ID. _Selena._

He contemplated ignoring the call, but decided that would only make things worse. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Nicholas," she growled. "You have some explaining to do. Where the hell did you go last night? I looked for you for two hours! I'm sorry if I scared you or whatever with what I said but that gives you no right to just –"

"Selena," he cut her off. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I just don't have time for this right now. Something really important came up; I'll explain it to you later. But right now I have to find something to do with Peyton for a few hours or maybe a day. My parents can't keep her anymore and no one I call is available to help..."

Selena smiled a little as an idea formed in her mind. She knew that Nick's daughter was, for whatever reason, the most important thing in his life, and he sounded genuinely upset. Perhaps if she did something sweet for him and his kid then it would help him along the road to those three little words he seemed so unwilling to say...

"I can watch Peyton for a little while," she cut him off mid-sentence and he fell silent, shocked. That was the last thing he had expected...

"Are you sure?"

She smirked, inspecting her nails. "Absolutely. It'll be a good chance for us to, you know, bond or whatever."

Nick sighed, rubbing his temple. _Beggars can't be choosers._

"Well, alright. Can you pick her up from my parents' house at nine?"

"Sure. Let me get something to write down the address..."

They ended their conversation and Nick called his parents again to let them know. As he waited for someone to answer, he let out a loud sigh, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if his life would ever have some sense of normality.

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**So. Bit of an eventful chapter, eh? And...where is Joe? You guys will never guess! Really. Butttt, I'd love to know your guesses on _who _he's with! Shouldn't be too hard if you were paying attention! (: Include it in your review!**


	7. Chapter Six

**This one is kinda depressing in parts and funny in other parts...enjoy lol. For everyone who keeps saying they want Miley and Peyton to meet...be patient! :) Dedicated to: ****SaritaHsM****, ****Mz Fizzle, smileeex8,****smileymee16****, ****B u t t e r c u p d e v i l, ****lcxx916, nileyfan1, ****JustJulz****, ****nienlovesjonas****,****mcandnj61106, ****rubberducky, ****iluvjb4ever123, ****xlivingtolove****, and someone with no name. Love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, unfortunately...**

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**Sun. August 14, 2013, Nick's Parents' House, Hollywood, California, 9:04 a.m.**

There was a tense silence in the room, the only noise being _101 Dalmatians _on the television. Peyton seemed to be engrossed in the movie, but you could never really tell with her. The last time her grandparents had spoken to her, she was undeniably pissed off at them, her father, and apparently the world in general. She had barely spoken a word in the two hours it had been since her father called with a big announcement – Daddy was very busy and she would be going home with his girlfriend until he could pick her up. Evidently, said girlfriend was not well-liked. Peyton argued with her father a bit, and begged him to make time for her no matter what he was doing. And when he said he couldn't, she slammed the phone down and threw herself on the floor, and for the first time since her 'terrible twos' phase, she kicked and screamed and threw an all-out _fit. _

Half an hour later, when all involved had recovered from the trauma and Peyton was sitting at the kitchen table tearfully eating some ice cream, she looked up and told her grandmother in a very tiny voice, "I don't wanna stay with _her."_

Denise Lucas couldn't exactly say she was looking forward to it either. From what she knew of Selena Russo, she was not fit to take care of a child. Far from it, actually. She was definitely the party type and pretty snobby, too, and according to Peyton, she hated children and couldn't cook. How her son had ended up dating her in the first place was beyond her. But now, he was leaving her in charge of his child... _"I know, Mom, but she offered and I couldn't find anyone else on such short notice. This is really important, you'll understand when I have time to explain it..."_

She sighed. She certainly hoped it was important, because if Peyton's reaction was any clue to the events that would follow, one of those girls would be dead by the end of the day. _But,_ she thought with a smile, as she looked at the four-year-old lying on her stomach in front of the T.V., whispering secret plots to her teddy bear and kicking her legs in the air behind her, _if I know my granddaughter at all, it will be Selena._

The stillness in the room was broken when the doorbell rang.

"Oh, no, Cruella de Vil is here," Peyton mumbled to Chewie, and her grandfather chuckled under his breath. He grabbed Peyton's backpack from beside the door and nudged her shoes towards her with his foot. "Come on, Sweetheart," he urged, and she shook her head, looking close to tears again. "Do it for your daddy."

Mumbling something else into her teddy's ear, Peyton reluctantly stood up and slipped on her flip flops, taking her backpack from his hands. She told her grandparents goodbye, trying to make the hugs and kisses last so she wouldn't have to leave. Finally, Denise opened the door.

"Took you long enough," Selena muttered, not even looking up from the phone in her hands. Peyton gave her grandparents a look that said, _'see, I told you! Don't make me go with her!' _

Selena ended her text conversation and slid her phone back into the pocket of her shorts – how she managed that was a mystery, seeing as they were so tight they looked painted on. She looked around at the two adults but neither of them said anything, so she turned to Peyton.

"Come on, kid, don't look so sad. We'll have lots of fun," she said with a fake smile. Peyton glared, planting her tiny hands firmly on her hips.

"Look," she said, in an adorable voice that surely meant business. "You might as well stop pretending, because you stink at it. You and I both know we're not gonna be having any fun. Let's just go."

And with that, the little girl thrust her backpack into Selena's arms with a surprising force, and walked right out the door, leaving the three stunned adults to stare after her.

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 9:04 a.m.**

_She was confused. She was somewhere so familiar, and yet she couldn't remember ever being there. She knew that she was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, and yet it felt like she was outside of the car instead, watching the scene unfold._

_She was watching a younger version of herself riding in a car, and a young boy driving. Both of them must have been about sixteen or seventeen. She was surprised at how young she looked, and even more at how genuinely happy she seemed to be._

_But what shocked her the most was that her younger self was heavily pregnant. Her hands rested instinctively on her bulging stomach and every once in a while she would smile and run her hands over it to soothe the kicking baby. The boy gave her a loving smile every once in a while. She knew she recognized him, but she couldn't remember who he was..._

_All of her senses seemed in tune with the senses of the young girl in the car. She could feel the cool air conditioning blowing against her face, causing her hair to tickle her neck. Her mouth tasted strange – something like ice cream, in a weird flavor that she surely would have found disgusting in the present day, but now it tasted wonderful. She could smell her own sweet perfume and a subtle hint of the boy's cologne, and somehow the two scents mixed perfectly together. Her ears registered the sound of soft music on the radio, playing the last notes of some song she recognized vaguely from a few years ago._

_That song ended and another one started, and the young girl smiled excitedly. "I love this song!" she giggled out, reaching out to turn up the volume. She sang along, her lovely voice mixing with the voice of the singer, and threw her hands up, moving her body with the music._

_The boy smiled at her, jokingly singing along as well, tapping out the beat on the steering wheel. He turned his head to look at her for a minute and she flashed him an over-exaggerated flirty look that matched the mood of the racy song. He laughed and after a second she cracked up too, and she reflected on how much she loved simple moments like this._

_The events that followed happened so quickly she could hardly register them. There was the sound of horns blaring and screeching tires, and the boy snapped his head forward to face the road. He gasped and slammed on the breaks, but it was too late. She whipped around and looked out her window just in time to be blinded by a set of headlights and nearly deafened by a shrieking horn. The only thing that entered her mind after that was pain. Pain all over. She screamed. Her hands flew to her stomach, trying to protect her unborn child. _

_She heard the boy calling her name and she tried to answer him, but her mind couldn't process any words. Nothing but pain. Pain and fear. The bright lights all around her were fading to black. She was still trying to scream, though she didn't seem to be aware that she was, pained gasps being the only thing escaping her mouth. She tasted blood, running into her open mouth from various spots on her head. She clutched at her stomach tightly, feeling her precious baby moving around wildly, distressed._

_The last thing her mind processed was the boys lips pressed tightly to her ear, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, his tears and blood dripping down onto her face, mixing with her own. "I love you," he gasped into her ear, and she wanted so badly to tell him that she loved him too, but she couldn't move her mouth. Too painful. Everything was fading, fading. She could no longer hear anything other than the boy's words. She couldn't see anything at all, and she wasn't sure if her eyes were closed or if she had been blinded. She felt the boys touch leaving her as well, fading into the distance just as everything else, and that was the most painful of all. She tried to grasp onto him and hold him to her, but somehow she knew that she wasn't moving her arms, no matter how hard she tried. "I love you, I love you," he was repeating, as if he didn't know how to say anything else._

_She could no longer feel his arms around her. She felt like she was falling, falling deep into some bottomless pit, and the sound of his voice was gradually leaving her. She couldn't feel his hot breath against her ear anymore, or his tears falling onto her skin. She couldn't feel anything. The pain was gone, but at the same time it was the most painful and terrifying thing she had ever experienced._

"_I love you, I love you," the boy continued to say, sobs threaded in between his words, as his voice faded and faded out until she could no longer hear it._

_And then, everything was black._

Miley woke with a start, gasping as she set straight up in bed. She couldn't breathe. Her throat was dry; it felt as if she really had been screaming the way she did in her dream. And maybe that was the case. Her whole body felt weak and numb, and she shot her hands up to her head, gripping her hair, as if to assure herself that she could move her limbs.

"Miley?" someone mumbled from beside her, and she turned to see a pair of arms and a mop of curly hair struggling to get untangled from the sheets. Any other morning she probably would have laughed, but now she only sobbed, feeling her tears running down her face rapidly, landing on her lap like raindrops as the previous night's events rushed back to her and she remembered how she happened to be in a bed that wasn't her own.

Nick took one look at her and was instantly awake and alert. "Miley? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nick," she gasped out, launching herself into his arms so forcefully that he fell back against the pillows with a somewhat-pained grunt. He caught her, though, and held her tight, and that was all that mattered to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, as he felt her tears on his neck, her head buried into his shoulder. He rocked her gently, as if she were a small child. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered calming words into her ear, and slowly she stopped shaking and fell limp in his arms, still crying quietly but no longer gasping or sobbing.

He was hit with an epiphany and gently asked, "Reliving last night?"

She was quiet for a moment, as she gently moved away from him so they were no longer tangled together and she was facing him instead, her eyes closed tightly as if that would keep the bad images out. Her nightmare would be too complicated to explain and she didn't want to relive the horror of having to tell him about it, so she went with the obvious lie.

_It was only a dream, _she told herself as she nodded in answer to his question, another tear sliding slowly down her cheek.

Nick reached out and gently brushed it away, and the simple gesture was so loving and tender that she opened her eyes and stared lovingly into his. Very suddenly she realized how gorgeous they were. The most perfect, beautiful shade of brown, and a lovely twinkle that made her feel calm and tranquil and yet wild and spontaneous at the same time.

Slowly, she pulled her eyes away from his bottomless brown orbs. The feelings she got when she looked into them scared her. It was something like comfort, friendship, and pure joy all together, along with a hundred other emotions she couldn't place. It was strangely familiar to her. It was a bit like the way she had imagined love would be.

But of course, that couldn't be what she was feeling for this man. She had just met him last night.

"Listen to me," he told her gently, and she looked back up into his perfect eyes, which were burning with a powerful passion she thought she recognized, but wasn't sure where from. "They can't hurt you anymore. They're locked up behind bars; they got what they deserved. I will never let them hurt you."

His eyes were burning into hers so intensely it was almost painful, but she couldn't look away. "I will never let _anyone _hurt you."

It wasn't a promise he was sure he could keep, nor was it one that she expected him to keep. But he meant it just the same. And for some reason she simply couldn't explain, she believed him with everything in her.

She leaned forward and allowed him to pull her into a hug, and without the other noticing, both of them savored the moment.

_I love you, _she thought suddenly. She wasn't sure why or how that thought entered her mind, and she didn't know if it was even true. But she couldn't help thinking it. Suddenly she was hit with a realization that made her gasp.

It was Nick. A younger version of him. In the car. In her dream. Trying so hard to protect her, holding her tight in his arms, crying out that he loved her...

It was a weird realization. But it comforted her. They pulled apart and she looked into his deep brown eyes again.

_I love you, I love you._

"You're amazing," she told him sincerely. Then she smiled lightly. "Are you my guardian angel or something?"

Nick gave her an odd smile – kind of coy and sneaky, but with a hint of sadness to it.

"Something like that."

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Selena's Loft, Hollywood, California, 12:37 p.m.**

To say that Peyton was unhappy would have been the understatement of the century.

She was bored, she was angry, she was annoyed, she was hungry, and most of all, she was feeling sad and neglected. Her daddy, the wonderful and loving king of her world, had promised he would be back in the morning, and he wasn't. He was too busy for her. He dumped her off on someone else as if she were unimportant, or at least _less _important than whatever he was doing.

She wondered again what exactly that was. At first she had assumed it was something to do with his work, but then she had decided that couldn't be it. He had no problem taking her to work with him when necessary and all of his co-workers adored her, so he wouldn't have had to leave her with somebody else. Then she thought maybe somebody in the family was very sick and he had to go take care of them. But in that case, somebody would have told her and they would have talked about it for a long while, in that careful way that grown-ups reserved specifically for discussing sensitive subjects with children.

She considered a few other scenarios, and then she angrily decided it didn't matter. No matter what it was, it wasn't supposed to be more important than her. How dare he leave her with that...that _meanie. _She was his princess, after all! And boy, when her daddy did finally come back for her, he was going to _get it_.

But she didn't enjoy being mad at her father. It made her feel sad and just plain rotten, the way she did when she knew she had done something wrong. She didn't want to think about it.

So, instead she focused on annoying her babysitter.

"I'm _bored,_" Peyton whined for the millionth time in twenty minutes. She normally didn't have trouble entertaining herself, but not when the person who was supposed to watching her blatantly ignored her and _expected _her to entertain herself. Didn't she know anything about how a child's mind worked?

Selena glanced up from her magazine, but only for a second. "Do I look like I care?" she scoffed. Peyton shrugged.

"Don't you have some toys in your bag or something?"

"I played with them all already."

Peyton pouted slightly as she felt her stomach rumble. She was starving, but far too proud to ask Selena to feed her – she probably wouldn't even if she did ask, and if for some reason she did, it probably wouldn't be edible.

Selena rolled her eyes. "Go take a nap or something, then."

"No! Naps are for babies!" Truthfully, Peyton did usually take a nap sometime during the afternoon, but she wasn't about to tell Selena that.

"God, aren't you like three?" Selena said, clearly annoyed. Peyton interrupted and informed her that she was actually four, but she didn't care and therefore ignored it. "You _are _a baby. Go take a nap and leave me alone."

Outraged, Peyton opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it as she felt a certain part of her brain start working. The same part of her brain that her father swore she must have gotten from Uncle Joe and the one that was responsible for almost everything she had ever done that had gotten her in trouble.

"Actually, I am kinda sleepy. I'll go take a nap."

Selena was shocked, but tried not to show it. "Well, good. But I don't want you messing around in any rooms alone. Sleep in the hallway."

"Okay." The little girl toddled innocently across the living room to the hallway, hugging her teddy bear and faking a yawn as she turned the corner out of Selena's sight.

She giggled a little, giving Chewie a sneaky smile as she whispered her plan into his well-loved ear.

If there was one thing she knew for sure about Selena, it was that she wasn't very smart. She would assume Peyton was fast asleep in the hallway and wouldn't bother to look for her sneaking around the house.

Her plan turned out to be a very satisfying success – made all the more so by the look on Selena's face when she discovered her in her bedroom, almost an hour later. Peyton was having a blast when this happened, jumping on Selena's bed, the half-empty bag of potato chips she'd had for lunch laying on the bed beside her, wearing one of Selena's dresses over her clothes and her face covered in make-up that had been a _lot _of fun to experiment with. She'd colored on the fashion magazines that were now scattered across the floor, and had obviously played dress up with several other outfits, because they were all over the place. There were crayon marks and sticky little handprints – sticky with what, Selena didn't even want to know – all over the walls.

Selena didn't say anything when she opened the door. She slowly walked over to the bed and yanked Peyton off of it, and calmly carried her to the bathroom to scrub off the makeup. But she was far from calm. Only one thought played in her mind:

This little bitch was going _down._

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 1:09 p.m.**

Miley couldn't help but feel that she had overstayed her welcome. Nick had rescued her from four drunken bastards who had almost stolen her virginity. He had allowed her to spend the night at his house when she was scared to be alone. He had slept by her side and cuddled with her, which she was sure must have been awkward for him. He had made her breakfast and even lunch. He had comforted her when she needed to be comforted. She couldn't allow him to go to any more trouble for her.

So now, it was time for her to go.

"Are you sure you're ready to be alone?" Nick asked after she'd announced this. "I really don't mind if you stay a little longer..."

_Please stay, _he wanted to beg. _Please. I don't want you to ever leave._

She gave him a sincere smile. Honestly she would have loved to stay longer, but she knew when it was time to leave. Taylor was probably going crazy by now, and she knew she needed to get away from Nick before she got too terribly used to him. Living by yourself is a lonely existence once one becomes accustomed to living with someone else.

"No," she insisted. "You've done so much for me already."

He nodded sadly, trying again to tell her it was no trouble, but she knew it was. They stood there quietly for a moment, both wanting to speak but afraid to hear their own words. "Thank you again," she whispered finally. "For everything..."

He smiled at her. "Don't mention it," he told her lightly, but sincerely at the same time. "Do you want a ride back to your hotel?"

She shook her head, even though she would have loved one. "No, thanks. I'll take a taxi. Gotta get used to being alone again," she joked.

They hugged goodbye. And then before either knew what was happening, she was gone.

Nick sighed to himself. When he thought of all the emotions that involved his life without Miley, the word "lonely" never came up. He didn't consider himself alone – he had his brothers and his friends and, most importantly, Peyton. But now, standing on the porch all alone as he watched his true love leave him, Nick Lucas was incredibly lonely.

He closed his eyes for a few minutes, letting the events of the past two days fully sink in for the first time. As amazing as it all was, it was also kind of depressing. He lost her again.

_Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, _he thought. But it wasn't any consolation.

Finally, he shook the thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on the one girl in his life who he loved as much as he loved Miley. What was Peyton doing right now? Did she have Selena tied up in a corner? He chuckled lightly; he wouldn't be surprised. Or were they actually getting along?

This time he laughed out loud. _Fat chance._

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**Peyton is such a little evil genius; I have so much fun writing her character haha. And we still don't know where Joe and Taylor are... ;)**

**Virtual cookies for everyone who reviews!**


	8. Chapter Seven

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No Miley in this one...and STILL no mention of Taylor and Joe...but I have a feeling you guys will like it. ;) Dedicated to: JustJulz, lcxx916, mcandnj61106, Mz Fizzle, smileymee16, nileyfan1, smileeex8, nienlovesjonas, iluvjb4ever123, SaritaHsM, AboveItAllxxo, and xssofiaa -passes out virtual cookies- Thanks so much guys!

I know some of you are like dying to see Miley and Peyton meet...the way I have this story planned, that should be coming in like chapter 12. So if you want to read that sooner then you really need to review! :)

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything...poor me...**

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**Sun. August 14, 2013, Selena's Loft, Hollywood, California, 1:27 p.m.**

Peyton leaned forward and rested her head on her hands, trying not to wince as her fingers pressed against the tender skin of her cheeks. Her face was still very red and sore from when Selena had roughly scrubbed the make-up off of it – along with what felt like the top layer of skin. But Peyton wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of knowing it hurt.

The two ladies were currently facing each other across the kitchen island, Selena standing on one side of it and Peyton on her knees in the unstable barstool – a position that would surely worry her father if he knew. She smirked a little at the thought. He deserved to be worried and upset. He had abandoned her.

Selena mimicked her, leaning her head on her hands.

"Now," she said slowly. "I'm not stupid."

_Yes, you are, _Peyton thought, and Selena narrowed her eyes as if she knew exactly what she was thinking.

"If I punish you, you're going to go crying to your dad and get me in trouble," she continued, and Peyton smirked a little. "So you won't be punished. But until your dad comes to get you, I am not letting you out of my sight."

"Sounds like a punishment to me."

Selena glared, tilting her head to the side. "Keep talking. We'll screw this plan and I'll spank your little butt hard."

"I'll tell my daddy you hit me."

"I don't care. It would be worth it."

The room was silent for a moment. As smart and sneaky as she was, Peyton was still a four-year-old. And no four-year-old would willingly accept a spanking under any circumstances, especially from someone who wasn't their parent.

Plus, she had to admit, if only to herself, that she was a little afraid of the thought of Selena hitting her. If she could hurt her so much by wiping her face, she could only imagine what she could do with a nice hard smack.

"What do you say, Brat?" Selena prompted. "We'll just chill at the island for a little while and, like...talk."

Peyton quirked an eyebrow, in that way that made it impossible to deny she was her father's child. "We don't have to get along, right? We just have to talk?"

"Exactly."

"Fine, deal."

Silence.

"So...what do you want to talk about?" Selena asked awkwardly. Peyton shrugged. "I don't know."

More Silence.

Selena buried her face into her hands. _This is going well, _she thought sarcastically. _Think. Make kiddie conversation. It can't be that hard._

"Nice bear," she said weakly, referring to the ever-present Chewie who was lying on the counter in front of Peyton. Selena reached out to pick the small stuffed animal up, unknowingly hitting a very sensitive nerve.

"Don't touch that!" Peyton shrieked, yanking her bear out of Selena's hands and cradling it to her body. "Chewie's very special. My mommy gave it to me." She said it very proudly and Selena jumped at the opportunity to get her talking.

"Whatever happened to your mom anyway?" she asked. Peyton looked skeptical; she had a feeling Selena didn't really care, but at least she was trying to make conversation. "I don't know," she said, "But she loved me very much and she didn't want to leave, she just had to."

Selena raised her eyebrows. "That's what your father tells you?" She scoffed. "I'd think he would at least have the guts to be honest with you."

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked quietly, almost fearing the answer.

Selena rolled her eyes, as if she couldn't believe the four-year-old's stupidity.

"Look, kid," she stared straight into the little girl's eyes as she spoke. "Whatever crap story your dad's been feeding you is all lies. If your mom didn't want to leave, she wouldn't have. Duh. Either your mom's dead or she left because she didn't want you."

"That's not true!" Peyton screamed, a single perfect tear sliding down her rosy cheek, burning slightly on the manhandled skin. "My mommy loved me a lot! You're lying!" Then for the first time in almost two years, Peyton stuck Chewie's right ear into her mouth. It soothed her slightly, but nowhere near as much as she had hoped it would.

Selena rolled her eyes cruelly. "You're not very smart, are you, kid? Think about it. I bet your mom left you, and your dad was probably so ashamed about being dumped with a baby that he made up some story to keep the real truth from you." Peyton was crying now.

"Make sense?" Selena asked her harshly.

Peyton sobbed, pulling Chewie's ear out of her teeth. Because, even though she had absolutely no reason to believe anything Selena said, it _did _make sense.

"That's not true!" she said again, her voice rising with every word. "My daddy wouldn't lie to me and _my mommy loved me very much!"_

Selena looked right into her eyes, her face showing no signs of guilt at the sight of the crying child. "Please. You know I'm right."

Peyton looked down at her bear. Suddenly, he didn't seem so special.

"Why would she leave?" Peyton finally mumbled tearfully, more to herself and Chewie than to Selena, though she knew she would answer.

"Maybe she would have stayed if you weren't such a brat."

For a second, a wave of guilt flashed over Selena as the most heartbroken look she had ever seen took over the child's face. But then she shook her head, looking away. _She's four. She'll have forgotten all about this tomorrow._

Peyton looked down at her bear one more time, her vision blurry with tears. Silently, she turned him over and looked at the bottom of him left paw. She couldn't read. For all she knew, it could say something totally different than what her father had told her it said. But suddenly, no matter what the words said, she did not want that bear anymore.

She didn't want anything to do with her mother. She had never loved her at all. She had abandoned her. And now her father had too.

Maybe Selena was right. Maybe she was a brat. And maybe _nobody _loved her.

She closed her eyes, choking on her sobs as she cried to herself, feeling very small and very, very alone.

Suddenly, both girls looked up at the sound of someone stomping into the room.

Selena backed away from the island, startled, and opened her mouth to defend herself. Nick held up his hand to silence her, giving her a look that made her want to hide under the table.

"I'll deal with you in a minute," he told her sternly, and she gave a weak and guilty nod.

"P," he whispered, taking a step towards his daughter, but she didn't run into his arms as he had expected her to. Instead, she jumped off of the barstool and backed away from him.

"It's okay, Honey," he tried, as he reached his arms out to pick her up and comfort her. She pushed them away.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted hysterically, and Nick recoiled in surprise. "I hate you!" He could barely understand the words through her tears.

"I hate _everything_! I wish I was never born!"

The two adults watched in shock as Peyton threw her once-beloved bear to the floor and stomped on it. Then she turned and ran from the room, rushing into the first room she came too and slamming the door as hard as she could.

She looked around long enough to realize that she was in the bathroom. Still howling with tears, she locked the door and then threw herself down onto the toilet seat.

And as she wrapped her arms around herself in a very sad hug, it occurred to her that she could be the youngest person in history to experience a broken heart.

Nick stared after her for a moment, trying to process everything he had just witnessed. Then he whipped around to angrily face Selena, almost growling as he walked up to her. She took one step backwards for each one he took forward until she felt the wall behind her. She gulped. She didn't think Nick would hit her or anything, but the fire in his eyes was scaring her regardless. _Note to self: Stop messing with the kid._

Nick remained silent until he and Selena were less than three inches apart. His eyes were boring into hers so hard that she could almost feel them burning, but she didn't dare look away.

"You _bitch," _he finally said, and her eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell is wrong with you? I come to pick up my daughter and you don't answer the door when I knock for ten minutes. And then I panic and let myself in with that key you _insisted_ I have, only to find you two calmly talking in the kitchen. And when I decide to listen in for a minute to see if you're really getting along, I hear you telling my daughter that her mother abandoned her because she wasn't a perfect child." He took another step closer and she tried to back up another step, but found herself pressed against the wall. "How _dare _you."

"You don't know anything about what happened between me and Peyton's mother," he spat, pronouncing each word slowly and carefully, as if he were speaking to a two-year-old. "It's very complicated, okay? And she didn't leave me." He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. "Technically, I left her. I was forced to." He looked away for a second, a pained expression on his face. But then he seemed to regain his composure and locked eyes with her again.

"It's a very long story and Peyton is far too young to understand it," he said, still speaking slowly, and she realized he was trying hard to remain somewhat-calm. "Which is why I've kept it from her. I was planning on telling her the full story when she turned thirteen. When she was old enough and mature enough to understand. And I decided a long time ago that I would never tell her some lie about her mother being dead or leaving us. _Because it's not true._"

He took yet another step closer and the tips of their noses were practically touching. "And I'd like to know what the _hell_ gives you the right to talk to my child about something as important as an absent parent, without even having a clue what you're talking about."

Selena gulped. "I..." She trailed off, trying to think of something she could say.

He knew she didn't have an explanation; he hadn't really expected one. So he silenced her with a glare and continued.

"Let me tell you something about Peyton," he went on, his voice taking on an emotion she couldn't quite name. "She loves to dance and she loves to perform. She's the best little dancer in her class. But she begs and begs not to go to the recitals because she knows she'll be the only one there with an aunt fixing her hair and make-up, instead of a mother. Whenever she plays with baby dolls, she starts crying because she says she doesn't know how to act like a mother. She tells me she hates her face because every time people see us together, they comment that she must look more like her mother than her father. And you can tell how sad it makes her."

Selena held in a sigh. If he was trying to make her feel bad, it worked...

He shook his head slightly as he continued. "And the one thing that makes her feel better during those times is to remember that her mother loved her."

He gave her a look of pure disgust. "And you couldn't let her have that. You always have to argue with her. You always have to win. She's _four, _Selena. She isn't used to me dating anyone; you have to give her time to warm up to you. You were supposed to be the adult." He shook his head again. "But no. You ran your stupid, overused mouth the way you always do, and my child got hurt. So congratulations," he spat. "You won. You broke a four-year-old's heart. I hope you're happy."

Finally he backed up, giving her more personal space. "And if it wasn't already clear, we're done. Permanently."

Now she officially felt like crap. She couldn't remember ever feeling very guilty before; it must have been an effect Nick had on her. "Look, I'm sorry," she said. "I honestly figured that the obvious story would be right. I didn't know it would upset her so much. But are you seriously going to break up with me over this? It won't happen again, and if you knew the things she did earlier today –"

"Shut up," he commanded coldly, and she did. "You're missing the point. I am a single parent. The most important thing in the world to me is my child. And if you aren't willing to accept her, then we can't have a relationship."

"I'm trying to accept her, really. You know I'm suckish with kids."

"No kidding," he joked humorlessly. "Look, even if you and Peyton got along perfectly, we wouldn't be compatible. We're too different. You obviously need someone who wants to move fast and I obviously need someone willing to take it slow. And since we can't seem to come to a compromise, you should have seen this coming anyway."

"Fine," she pleaded, "We can take it slow. I'll wait for you to say 'I love you' first. I'll stop bugging you to sleep with me."

"Don't beg," he ordered disgustedly. "It's pathetic. I didn't say 'I love you' because I _don't _love you. I never have and I don't think I ever will. And I won't sleep with you because I don't want to catch anything."

Her mouth dropped open. "Oh, so now you're calling me a slut?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Please. I bet you looked for me at the club for all of five minutes last night before you found some other guy to go home with."

This wasn't exactly untrue. She had looked for him much longer than five minutes, but when another man started to comfort her, she kind of gave up.

Even so, she took great offense to this comment.

Just seconds after the last word left his mouth, Nick felt his cheek start to sting as she raised her hand and smacked him.

"Well," she counteracted, "I guess you _would _know about sluts. Regardless of what happened to your brat's mom, she still got knocked up at sixteen. And I don't think it gets much sluttier than that."

Before he even knew what he was doing, Nick raised his hand and smacked Selena the very same way she had smacked him. Not too hard, of course; nothing that could be considered abusive or anything. But it shocked her into silence and they just stared at each other for a moment.

"It's over," he said finally. "_We're_ over. For good. So stop begging."

This time she didn't say a word.

"Now," he continued with a pointed glare, "I'd love to make a grand, dramatic exit right now and never come back, but I have to go coax my emotionally scarred daughter from your bathroom."

He turned and started down the hallway, but not before adding, "You'll be receiving a bill from a therapist in a few years."

He approached the bathroom slowly, and knocked gently on the door. "Peyton? Honey, please open the door..."

"No! I hate you! Go away!" He frowned at how truly devastated her voice sounded.

He quietly sat down beside the door, leaning back against the wall. "You don't really believe those things she said, do you?" he asked gently. "You know that I wouldn't lie to you."

Peyton sniffled. "Her story made more sense than yours does."

"Well, sometimes a made up story does make more sense than the real story," he told her. "She was lying. I was telling the truth."

"Why should I believe you?" she asked coldly, her voice muffled by the door.

"Because you love me," he said calmly. "And because you know I love you. So you just have to trust me."

It was quiet for a second as she thought that over. "I guess so. But I still feel bad."

Nick smiled slightly. "I broke up with Selena. Does that help?"

He could picture the small smile that spread across her tearful face. "A little."

He laughed lightly. "That's my girl," he said sweetly. "Now please come out. I want a hug."

He heard the click of the door unlocking and then it swung open, and his daughter fell into his arms. "Daddy..." she sobbed, clinging to his neck.

"Shh..." he soothed, rubbing comforting circles on her back. "It's alright. I love you."

"I love you too."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, as he continued rubbing her back and whispering comforting words to her. He couldn't help but think back to the morning hours, when he'd done the same thing for Miley.

"Peyton," he whispered into his daughter's hair.

"Yeah?" she sniffled.

"I think it's time I told you what happened to your mother."

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**Oh, snap! xD Finally the bitch is gone! Or is she...? Dun dun dun. Next chapter will catch up with Miley and finally reveal what happened to Joe and Taylor. Please review! Pretty pretty please with gummy bears on top! (: You have no idea how happy reviews make me!**


	9. Chapter Eight

**100 REVIEWS! THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH! Idk if that's like, something stupid to be excited about, but I'm seriously over the moon. So thanks guys! :)))**

**Anyway. I'm officially back in school. :( Blech. Ninth grade, (high school babay!) and more homework than ever. Which means updates might not happen as often, or they might happen even more often, because I will do just about anything to put off doing my homework. So yeah, anyway, enjoy this chapter. Dedicated to: SHEisLOVEx3, smileeex8, smileymee16, mcandnj61106, JOJO, AprilRainer18, nileyfan1, DancingAngel(dot)Forever, xssofiaa, iluvjb4ever123, nienlovesjonas, JustJulz, Mz Fizzle, kayy, lcxx916, rubberducky, xthatsWHACK, SaritaHsM, and someone with no name. You peoples are the BEST!**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, still not mine.**

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"_Peyton," he whispered into his daughter's hair._

"_Yeah?" she sniffled._

"_I think it's time I told you what happened to your mother."_

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 2:00 p.m.**

"Once upon a time," Nick began, lazily running his fingers through his daughter's curls as she snuggled up to him, "There was a prince and a princess, who were expecting a little princess of their own."

"Me, right?" Peyton interrupted, and he smiled at her. "Right." She smiled at that and rested her head on his chest.

Nick looked around his daughter's room, trying to think of a way to continue his tale. A fairytale would be easier than the brutal truth, he had decided, since she was so young. Even so, it was difficult for him to explain it to her – and of course, to Chewie, who had received a proper apology and an extra-tight hug and was now cradled in Peyton's arms again, listening to the story as well.

"The whole kingdom was very excited," he continued nervously. "All except the king – the current princess's father. He was a very cruel king who tried to control everything the princess did. And he was very mad, because the princess was about to become a queen, and that meant she wouldn't have to listen to him anymore."

Nick swallowed hard. "About a week before the new princess was supposed to be born, the current prince and princess were in a very bad accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"A car crash." _What would have been fairytale language for that? A horse-and-carriage crash?_

"Oh," Peyton whispered, now chewing on her bear's ear.

"The prince wasn't hurt very badly..." Nick closed his eyes. "But the princess was. She was taken to the hospital and she slept there for a very long time. The new little princess was born while she was asleep. With her birth the prince and the princess became king and queen, and the queen's cruel father was no longer king, so he was very angry."

He paused, wondering how to go on, and the room was dead silent for a moment.

"While the queen was still sleeping, the new king and the queen's father got into a fight," he went on finally. "The queen's father blamed the new king for his daughter being hurt. He commanded that he and the new little princess leave the kingdom and go far away, and never come back to see the queen again. And when the king refused to go, the queen's father told him that if he ever saw the queen again, he would..." Nick paused, swallowing hard. "He would hurt the baby princess and hide her away, where no one would ever see her again."

Peyton gasped, and Nick pulled her tighter to him, rubbing her back lightly. "And the young king loved the princess more than anything in the world and he couldn't let that happen," he mumbled into her hair, "So he knew he had no choice but to leave. Early the next day the king and the princess, along with all of the king's family, left the kingdom and found a new place to live that was very far away."

"What happened to the queen?" Peyton asked quietly. "Was she mad when she woke up?"

Nick looked up at the ceiling, wondering again if telling her this story was a very smart idea. "Remember I told you she was hurt really bad in the accident?"

Peyton nodded.

"Well, she was hurt so badly because she hit her head really hard," he continued weakly. "So hard that it made her forget everything and everyone she had ever known."

"Even the king and the princess?"

"Even them."

It was silent.

"Since she didn't remember anything, she believed everything her father told her about her life," Nick said. "And he didn't tell her about the king or the baby princess. So she never knew about them."

He gently reached down and tilted Peyton's tiny chin up, so she was looking right at him. "And even though she didn't remember it, the queen loved her princess very, _very _much," he told her sincerely, "And she would have wanted her to be safe, even if it meant being far away."

Peyton nodded, sniffling. "That's a sad story," she said finally, in a tiny voice just barely above a whisper.

"I know," he told her, pulling her into a hug.

"I wish it was just a fairytale," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Me too, Sweetheart," he whispered sadly into her ear, rubbing her back again. "Me too."

**Sun. August 14, 2013, ****Miley's Hotel Suite****, Hollywood, California, 2:00 p.m.**

Miley was lonely.

She had expected to be, after spending the night in bed with another person, and eating with them and conversing with them in a cozy house. It wasn't very fun being alone in her hotel room after such an experience.

She had tried calling Taylor at least ten times since she left Nick's house, but she couldn't get an answer, even though her cell phone had six missed calls and a very worried voicemail message. _Not _too _worried, apparently, _Miley thought to herself. She certainly hoped Taylor hadn't managed to get herself into some kind of trouble as well while she was looking for her.

That thought made her mind flash back to the horrible things that had happened the previous night, and how amazingly lucky she was to have been rescued. Maybe Nick really _was _her guardian angel.

She smiled slightly as she thought of Nick. Something about him had captured her interest more than any other man she had ever met. He made her feel safe and loved, and she wanted to always be around him. Something in his face could instantly calm her no matter what. It wasn't just his looks – though they were impressive as well – but the _way_ he looked at her. Like he truly cared about her and wanted to protect her. Like he would take a bullet for her.

And for some reason she couldn't explain, she would gladly take one for him too.

It had been a while since she last thought of that little girl with the angel face. Had she been in the right state of mind the night she met Nick, she would have easily made the connection between him and that little girl in the picture. She would have noticed that they had the same last name, and that they looked a good deal alike. And she probably would have remembered that Taylor had said the girl's father was named Nick. If she were to notice it later, she would have laughed at how clueless she was.

But she never would think of it on her own, because that isn't how she was meant to find out.

As she thought of Nick, she allowed her mind to travel to the horrible dream she had experienced that night. It was so vividly real. If she concentrated hard enough she could recall every single detail of the scene – the sirens and screams, the smell of something burning, that horrible, _horrible _pain. But most of all, she could remember the sounds of the younger Nick's frantic, terrified voice as he told her over and over again that he loved her.

Never before had she had a dream so real. It was almost like it wasn't a dream at all. Like it had actually happened before.

She swallowed hard, staring straight up at the ceiling. She knew that a car accident had changed her life when it wiped out her memory. Perhaps that had something to do with her dream. But it hadn't been anything like that – her father had been driving, and they were hit by a drunk driver. She hadn't had a boyfriend at the time. In fact, she didn't even know anybody in the town that it happened in. She was accompanying her father on a business trip when it happened. They'd gone back home right after she was released from the hospital, so she could be around familiar things.

It was so strange. How in the world had her subconscious thought up such a horrifying dream?

Miley closed her eyes, and wished once again that she had someone else's company. She didn't want to think about that dream. She often had dreams that upset her, and she had grown used to pushing them to the back of her mind. But this one was different – perhaps because it wasn't about her mother.

The saddest part of her losing her memory was that she didn't remember her mom. Miley had been only ten years old when she died of cancer. And the closest things to memories she had of her were some pictures, a few mementos, her father's stories, and that letter.

Silently, Miley reached over to her bedside table and grabbed the tattered piece of paper. It was the letter her mother had written to her the day before she died. She always kept it with her. Even if she wasn't reading it, just having it near her made her feel like her mother was there protecting her.

Carefully she read over it, her eyes filling with tears the way they always did when she read that letter. Just the first line was enough to fill her with an unimaginable sadness.

_My Dearest Daughter Miley,_

_There is nothing sadder than a little girl without her mother..._

**Sun. August 14, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 4:00 p.m.**

Peyton stared at the items in front of her. It was a little rare for her to have them out, and she was being very careful with them. She normally kept them locked up safe and sound in her jewelry box, where nothing could ever happen to them. Next to Chewie, they were the most important things she owned.

She gently touched the items one by one, simply dragging her fingers across them lightly. First was the picture of her mother that her father had given her only a couple of weeks ago. She slowly traced the outline of her mommy's beautiful face, wondering if _she_ would be that beautiful someday.

The next item was a necklace. Her father had given it to her mother when they were fourteen years old. It was very simple – a golden chain that had turned a little green (evidently fourteen wasn't old enough to have very much money) with a lovely heart pendant on it. She traced the heart and giggled slightly as she tried to picture her daddy as a teenager.

After that was a very small hair clip, with a little blue flower on it. It was incredibly beautiful and delicate, and she thought that it might look pretty in her own dark hair, but considered it far too fragile to wear herself. Her mother had been wearing it the day she met her father. He found it on the ground after she was gone and, even though he felt bad about it later, he kept it.

Peyton drew her fingers lightly across the flower and then gently brought it to her lips and gave it a kiss. Then she put it down gingerly and resumed staring at the three items. She sat Chewie down at the end of the line and just looked at the four things blankly.

Just four things. They were all she had of her mother. Her mother who didn't remember her. She had no idea that she even existed. But she loved her...

Silently, she picked up her bear and traced her fingers over those fancy letters on the bottom of his left paw. She was starting preschool soon. Maybe she could learn to read those letters there. _Really _read them.

She quietly placed Chewie back in his spot, and resumed her blank staring.

Down the hall, Nick sat in the living room giving a very similar blank look to the T.V. He didn't remember what he was watching, though he knew he would normally be interested in it. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a horrible decision telling his daughter that morbid fairytale while she was so very young. He knew she had a right to know, but he still wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the phone rang. Sighing, he leaned forward and picked it up from the coffee table, raising his eyebrows at the sight of the caller I.D.

"Joe?" he said into the receiver, without even saying hello.

"Hey, man."

"Dude, where the hell have you been?"

For a moment, there was silence from Joe's side of the call. "Vegas..."

Nick quirked an eyebrow in surprise, leaning forward to grab his previously forgotten can of Coke from the coffee table. "When did you go to Las Vegas?"

"Last night."

"Oh?" Nick chuckled a little, sipping his drink. Joe had always been pretty spontaneous. "And what did you do in Vegas all night?"

More silence. "...Got married."

Nick coughed and spluttered, spitting his soda all over himself. He swore under his breath, setting the can back on the table.

Joe was laughing. "You okay, dude?"

Nick shook it off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. _What do you mean you got married?_"

"Y'know, marriage. Rings, kissing, dancing, eternal love."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I know that part. I mean what the hell do you think you're doing running off and eloping in Vegas? Do you have any idea what Mom is going to do to you?"

Joe laughed a little. "Relax. We're gonna have a big ceremony and everything in a few months. Mom can be involved in that one. We just wanted to make it official."

Nick leaned back against the couch, bracing himself for the answer to his next question. "And who exactly is _'we'_?"

There was an odd sound and Nick realized Joe was scratching his head, the way he often did when he was nervous. "Remember Taylor?"

Nick's mouth dropped open. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been that.

"_The _Taylor?" he asked, when he had regained his composure. "The one who kicked your ass after you cheated on her?"

Joe sighed. "Yes, and she did _not _kick my ass. I put up a very good fight, thank you."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Explain. _Now._"

"It was like fate or something," Joe started. "I was bored last night and I decided to just go out for a drive, and I saw her walking down the street. She looked really worried about something so I stopped to talk to her. She and her friend were at this club, and her friend disappeared, and then she lost her phone and she was just walking around crying while she looked for her. So I comforted her and...I don't know, all these feelings came rushing back. I realized what a big mistake I made."

Joe paused for a second. "And then I told her I still loved her, and she said she still loved me too, and we ended up getting married."

Nick shook his head slowly, trying to process everything he had just heard. "Damn. Don't you think that moved just a _little_ bit too fast?"

"No," Joe said simply. "She loves me and I love her too, more than anything else in the world." Nick could tell his brother was smiling. "So why shouldn't we get married?"

Nick scratched his head and replied, "Well, I guess, but you weren't even, like..._engaged. _I just think that seems a little rushed."

"Well, yeah, it happened pretty fast," Joe laughed, "But that doesn't make it any less real. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be, no matter how it happens."

_Don't I know it, _Nick thought, closing his eyes as his mind instantly flashed to Miley. "Speaking of that. I have a long story for you...but I kinda think you need to hear it in person. When are you guys coming back, anyway?"

Joe laughed a little. "We didn't really think of that yet. If you need me there I'll come back right away, man." He said it sincerely, with concern in his voice and Nick smiled.

"No rush," he chuckled. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your, um...honeymoon." The two laughed for a second. "So what's Taylor doing?" Nick asked.

"Trying to get her bra down from the ceiling fan."

Nick shuddered, reaching forward and grabbing the damp can of coke to take another sip. "Okay, I shouldn't have asked..."

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**Aww, Jaylor. :D And poor Peyton. :( That little girl gets a lot of crap thrown at her in these next few chapters, I'm warning you now. Things are gonna happen kinda fast up to chapter twelve.**

**So yeah, please reviewww! :)))**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Hey peeps. So this chapter is pretty damn important. Miley is getting warmer and warmer! ;) We're getting closer to Miley and Peyton's meeting too...unfortunately the events directly before it will scare the crap out of Miley and all the other characters, and probably you guys too...just a random little hint to worry you****. :) This is dedicated to: ****smileymee16, smileeex8, AboveItAllxxo, Mz Fizzle, kay, mcandnj61106, AprilRainer18, nileyfan1, nienlovesjonas, lcxx916, SaritaHsM, and NickPonesLiam for the awesome reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Who cares?**

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**Mon. August 22, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 7:25 a.m.**

"Daddy, hurry up!" Peyton shrieked again, hopping excitedly from foot to foot. "We're gonna be late!"

Nick chuckled, zipping up Peyton's little pink lunchbox and handing it to her. "Calm down, honey," he told her for the thirtieth time that morning, "We have plenty of time."

"I don't wanna miss anything!" the little girl yelled, jumping up and down and smiling as her "swishy" skirt flowed around her knees with her movements.

"You won't miss anything," Nick reassured her, smiling at her eagerness. "Preschool doesn't start for another half hour and it only takes us five minutes to get there."

"What's left to do?" Peyton asked, as she set her lunchbox on the table beside her new Disney Princess backpack.

"We just have to brush your hair and then I want to get a few pictures of you before we leave," her father said. Peyton wrinkled her nose as she grabbed her brush from the counter and handed it to Nick. "Pictures? Why?"

Nick smiled at her as he began working the brush through her unruly curls as gently as possible. "Because this is a big deal," he told her. "My baby is starting preschool!"

Peyton giggled. "I'm not a baby, Daddy!" she insisted. "I'm a big girl!"

"Yes, you are," he said in a soft voice, a tender smile gracing his face. "You're a very big girl. But you're still my baby. You always will be."

Peyton didn't completely understand that, but the thought was comforting to her. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too."

There was total silence for the first time that morning as Nick tied a bow around each of his daughter's pigtails. As he did with every milestone Peyton reached, he went over an alternate scenario in his mind. _Miley_ should have been the one fixing Peyton's hair, crying over how their little girl was growing up so fast.

Nick closed his eyes, holding in a sigh to make sure Peyton didn't think anything was wrong. She was looking contently around the room, humming a little song to herself, and he wished more than anything in the world that Miley was there to see how sweet it was.

He was used to having wishes like this, of course, but in the week it had been since he'd last seen Miley he had started to think about her more and more. Had she felt something for him that night? Was she happy with the way she thought her life was? Was she in a relationship with someone else?

"All done, Baby Girl," he said finally, leaning down to kiss the top of Peyton's head. "Yay!" she squealed, turning around to look at him. "Now just pictures and we can go, right?"

Nick gave her a sly grin. "That depends. Let me see your mouth."

Peyton rolled her little eyes, but obeyed, giving him a giant smile so he could examine her teeth.

Nick winced. "P. Did you brush your teeth like I told you too?"

"Yes," she said obediently, nodding her little head.

"With toothpaste?"

Peyton paused guiltily, diverting her eyes. "Umm..."

"Ah-hah!" Nick chuckled, reaching out to tickle her stomach, and smiling at the warm feeling of complete love and happiness he got when she laughed. "Come on, Silly Girl. I'll help you this time."

Peyton's little face lit up. "Race you!" she shouted, and took off towards the bathroom. He laughed as he started down the hall after her, trying to take in every little detail of her tiny form. She was so small, and yet so big.

The time went by way too fast from that point. Together they brushed every snowy white tooth and she allowed him to take a few pictures before pulling him out the door. She bounced around excitedly throughout the whole ride, and he enjoyed every second of their cheerful conversation. And when he allowed her to drag him to her classroom, he almost cried at how happy and eager she looked. He smiled at the sweet way she greeted her teacher and her friends.

And she gave him one more hug and kiss, and he wished her good luck and told her to be good. And then she and her new teacher went off hand-in-hand to find her designated seat.

And no more than ten steps later she turned her little head, her adorable curly pigtails swinging out to the side. "Bye, Daddy!" she called, as she waved goodbye one last time."I love you!" Then he called out that he loved her too.

And just like that, she was gone.

He felt stupid for being so sad when she left. After all, he was coming to pick her up in four hours. But even so, he felt like she was growing up too fast. Like he was losing her. Losing the one reason he had to continue living.

Still standing there near the classroom door with all the other crying parents, Nick looked down at his hands. Silently, he held four fingers up in front of his stomach. She was only four. That was still little. Still small enough to be counted on one hand. Still small enough to be picked up and carried and to sit in a booster seat in the car and at the table. Only one day older than she was yesterday.

Suddenly he was shocked at how much of a difference that could make.

As he watched the other parents gradually start to leave, he sighed and decided he ought to go too. Keeping his eyes locked on his little princess, he thought one more time of his alternate world.

Miley should have been there. They should have walked her into her classroom together and given her goodbye hugs and kisses at the same time, and he should have held his love close to him as they watched their baby run off to play with her friends. And when she turned around and waved and shouted, "Bye, Daddy!" she should have added "Bye, Mommy!" as well.

It was so unfair that she would never get the chance to even say those words.

"_A girl, Mi," Nick said excitedly, placing his hand on the still-growing bump on his girlfriend's stomach. They'd just gotten home from the doctor and it seemed the news was just sinking in for both of them. He gave her a bright smile and she grinned at how happy he was as he continued. "I just _knew _it would be a girl! A little princess we'll get to spoil."_

_Miley's smile widened. "You're not upset that you didn't get that athlete you wanted?"_

_Nick shrugged, grinning. "Girls can be athletic. Besides, the whole 'Daddy's Little Girl' thing will be just as awesome."_

_Miley laughed lightly, the movement of her head causing a lock of hair to fall into her face. Nick brushed it away ever so gently, looking lovingly into her eyes. "I hope she looks like you," he told her softly. She blushed._

"_I hope she looks like _you_," she counteracted. Nick shrugged again, moving his other hand to her stomach as well. "Whatever she looks like, she'll be perfect," he stated, and then leaned down and planted a firm kiss just above Miley's bellybutton._

"_Daddy loves you," he whispered. Miley smiled as she lovingly rubbed her hands over her stomach._

"_Mommy loves you too."_

The flashback played in Nick's mind as he made his way out to his car. It devastated him to think that he would be the only one to ever know about that moment.

He had no idea how wrong he was.

**Mon. August 22, 2013, ****Miley's Hotel Suite****, Hollywood, California, 7:25 a.m.**

It was always Nick. That younger version of him, along with the younger version of herself. Ever since that night at Nick's, every single second she was asleep she would see them. They were different ages throughout the dreams – the youngest looking around thirteen and the oldest being the age they were in that horrible car crash. Each time they were doing something different, sometimes happy things and sometimes upsetting things. Occasionally other people would show up in these dreams as well, and Miley was shocked to find out that their names came to her naturally. Joe, Kevin, Lilly, and a few more, some more prominent than others. After she'd figured out Nick, it seemed that the puzzle became a little less complicated.

Very few things in these dreams made sense to her. They were so incredibly realistic, yet she knew they had never happened. She grew to recognize the people from dream to dream, even through different time periods. The dreams gradually transformed from an out of body experience to her seeing things completely through the eyes of her younger self. Every once in a while, she even felt like she knew what was coming next. And oddly enough, she grew to think of the dreams as a strange sort of Déjà vu. She had felt these things before...

Very rarely was it just one dream. It would usually be a series of them, one flowing on to the end of the other, and though they didn't really have a sequence, they all seemed to have a similar theme. Often they revolved around a specific person. She had gathered that the girl named Lilly was her best friend, and when she dreamed of Joe and Kevin, the words 'big brother' stuck in her mind. When she thought of Nick, she was overwhelmed with emotions. But the one that seemed to be strongest was simply _love_.

And the person these dreams revolved around most often of all was not even born yet.

"_It's so scary," Nick said quietly. And scary it was. They were only seventeen, not even old enough to live without their parents, and yet in a matter of weeks they would be parents themselves. _

"_I know," Miley mumbled back, cuddling deeper into him as the two watched the stars. She draped her arm over her stomach protectively and smiled slightly as their little miracle kicked. "We're way too young for this."_

"_It's not just that," Nick went on. "I mean, we are too young, but that's not all that's scary. It's...it's having a baby in general, no matter how old you are."_

_She nodded, but said nothing, so he continued._

"_I mean, there's this whole little person that we made together growing inside of you, and it has eyelashes and fingernails and everything. This whole new little life. And we have to raise it and support it and nurture it and teach it right from wrong. I still haven't completely figured out right and wrong myself! And we really _are _way too young for this. We're still kids, and yet we have to raise our own kid. What if we're not good at it? What if we turn into those teen parents who resent their baby because they don't get to do normal teenager things? What if the baby hates us when she grows up?"_

_He looked at her, a tear sliding down his face as his own words sunk in. "What happens when she figures out she was born when we were teenagers and spends the rest of her life thinking she was just a mistake?"_

_Miley shook her head. "She won't think that," she insisted, though she wasn't quite sure she believed her own words. No more was said on the subject._

"_Do you regret it?" Nick said after a minute, and his fragile voice made her want to hold him close and comfort him like a small child._

"_What?" she asked gently._

"_You know. _Us. _Making love."_

"_Oh," she swallowed. "Of course I don't! I would never, ever regret the things we did together." She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach, and he rubbed gentle circles there as he pulled her closer with his other arm. "I always knew you'd be the father of my kids anyway. I just didn't think it would happen so soon."_

_It was quiet for a second. "What about you?" she asked, turning her head to look at him. "You are the guy, after all. Do _you _regret it?"_

"_No. Never."_

"_Really? You don't regret anything about this?"_

_He gave her a small smile. "You know what I regret?" he said. "I regret not thinking of something more comforting to say when you told me you were pregnant. I regret getting scared and going for a long walk that day without telling you I was leaving or that I was coming back. I regret not taking that damn ninth grade project with the crying doll more seriously. I regret getting suspended from my last few weeks of high school for punching that guy's lights out when he called you a slut."_

_Gently, he pulled her chin up, so she stared directly into his eyes, and the sparks they each felt when brown met blue amazed them yet again. "But I would never regret those things we did, and I will _never _regret creating our baby."_

_Tears spilled down her cheeks and he brushed them away tenderly. "I love you," was all she said in response, and – if possible – she meant it more than she ever had before._

"_I love you too."_

And then Miley woke up.

This had quickly become routine. She would wake up very suddenly, her breaths coming in short gasps and her throat incredibly dry, tears streaming down her face – whether the dream was upsetting or not.

And even though she didn't know it, each time this happened she was getting closer and closer to piecing together her broken past.

So now here she was, staring at the wall beside her bed as the latest flood of dreams played through her mind, always accompanied by the horrifying car accident scene. She played around with all the dreams in her mind, trying to find connections between them, to figure out what they had to do with her.

Suddenly she was hit by the image of herself in the latest memory, her hand resting protectively on her stomach. In an instant that picture flashed to one of herself drenched in blood, laying in the rubble of the totaled car, wrapped in Nick's arms. She was crying out and her hand was clutching at her stomach in the same defensive manner, holding onto her unborn angel.

Those images brought the most horrible, sickening realization yet.

_Her baby was dead._ That was why the dreams stopped at that point. It had to be.

Tears flooded out of her eyes and she choked on her breath. Because that realization brought another one with it.

Slowly and silently, she looked down at her stomach. Gently she lifted her shirt up, trying to even her breathing through her tears. There on her stomach was a thin, light scar that went all across her lower abdomen. She knew that it was from that car crash when she lost her memory. A piece of glass in her stomach, followed by stitches was bound to leave a scar.

But as she gently placed her hand down on it, a strange spark ran through her and it was somehow obvious exactly what that scar was from, and it was nothing like what she had previously thought.

She gasped once, as another very important piece of the puzzle formed in the front of her mind.

The images she had been seeing in her sleep were not dreams.

They were _memories._

**Mon. August 22, 2013, Nick's car, Hollywood, California, 12:42 p.m.**

"...and after that we played outside on the playground. It's so big and fun, Daddy, with a swirly slide and _everything_..."

Nick smiled at Peyton's reflection in the rear-view mirror. He was thoroughly enjoying the full summary of his daughter's day and a part of him wished, as all parents do, that he had been there to share it with her.

"...and then we all drew pictures of our families, and you can see them in two weeks on parents' night. And you'll get to see everything else we'll do too, like a song we're gonna sing!"

"Wow, P," Nick said with a small laugh. "Sounds like you've had quite the day. Are you excited to go back tomorrow?"

"Yes!" she giggled. "Guess what else, Daddy! In three weeks there's a special girls' week, and there's gonna be a daddy/daughter dance after school!"

Nick smiled at her. "Sounds like fun. You'll have to show me some of your amazing dance moves before then."

Peyton laughed and nodded in agreement. Then her smile wavered ever so slightly and Nick could tell she was pondering whether or not to go on.

"And a few days after that, since its girls' week still, there's a mommy/daughter tea party."

_Ah. _Nick mentally sighed – he hated dealing with things like this. He was never sure if he was doing it the right way.

"Oh. Are you, um, interested in that?" He glanced at her in the mirror again. "I'm sure one of your aunts would be happy to go with you."

Peyton looked out the window, silent. Then she shook her head. "No. It wouldn't be the same."

Nick nodded in understanding.

"We're gonna be making presents the week before. For our parents," Peyton said after a minute. "To give to them during the girls' week – and the boys make stuff for boys' week. That comes the week after." She paused, turning her head to look at them again. "They said it would be okay if I made all of my presents for you, even the ones that are supposed to be for mommy. There's this one other girl named Emily who only has a mom, so she has to do the same thing."

"I'm sorry," he told her. It was all he could think of to say. "You really deserve to have your mother."

Peyton looked at her shoes. "It's okay," she said. "Mommy wouldn't want me to be sad, remember? I'm happy. I like preschool."

Nick grinned at her. "That's my brave girl. How about we stop for ice cream to celebrate your first day?"

All feelings of sadness were forgotten as Peyton's eyes lit up, her mother's perfect smile taking over her face. "Ooh! Yes please!"

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**DUNDUNDUN. Maybe Miley isn't quite as clueless as we all thought...**

**Review and Peyton will give you some of her ice cream! :D**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Heyy. So this chapter is kinda short, but important. So don't kill me please. (: Dedicated to: ****Mz Fizzle, dodgergirly,**** lcxx916, ****FaithIsAlliHold, AprilRainer18, XoXoNiLeY2010, mcandnj61106, smileymee16, ****nileyfan1, ****JustJulz, nienlovesjonas, xssofiaa, SaritaHsM, and ****MILEYJONASARMY. Peyton was very happy to share her ice cream with all of you! :D**

**Disclaimer: Peyton is mine and the plot is mine...everything else belongs to someone cooler than me.**

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_She gasped once, as another very important piece of the puzzle formed in the front of her mind._

_The images she had been seeing in her sleep were not dreams._

_They were _memories_._

**Mon. August 22, 2013, ****Miley's Hotel Suite****, Hollywood, California, 8:01 a.m.**

Miley was all but hyperventilating. She was suddenly positive that her thoughts were completely true. But...how? How could she have not known before then? How...how could her own father not have told her? Miley collapsed down onto her bed as she tried to release all of the overwhelming emotions in a loud groan.

After a moment it occurred to her that it was more likely she had gone clinically insane than it was that her realizations were correct. She needed to prove herself right before she did anything drastic.

She needed to get to Nick. He held a piece of the puzzle. She needed to talk to him, to find out how and why this had happened – if it had even happened at all. Obviously it was something complicated because he hadn't acted like he knew her when they met, and he definitely hadn't acted like he thought she was dead.

But something deep in her mind told her she didn't need his side of the story just yet. If she wanted the piece to fit, she had a few other pieces to connect first.

Her father? No, not yet. He needed to be saved for later. Until she knew more of what was going on.

But if she couldn't talk to Nick and she couldn't talk to her father, it appeared that she was once again up the creek without a freaking paddle.

Just as she was attempting to pull her hair out, something came to her. If these images were really memories and not just dreams, she should be able to bring them on when she was awake as well. Just because she had never tried before didn't mean it wasn't possible, right?

Miley closed her eyes, hugging the pillow that was in her lap. _Help me,_ she thought desperately. Nothing happened at first.

And then for a split second, everything flashed to white.

_Miley giggled happily as she threw herself down on her bed. Her date with Nick had been fantastic – the sappy, romantic kind of date that every fifteen-year-old girl dreamed of. She couldn't wait to tell Lilly all about it._

_Happily, she dialed the familiar number and kicked her legs out behind her impatiently as it rung._

"_Hello?"_

"_Oh, hey Miss Truscott," Miley said into the receiver, surprised. "Where's Lilly?"_

"_Silly girl left her cell phone in the car again. She's lucky I was on my way to the store when it rang or we might never have found it!"_

_Miley laughed slightly as her friend's mother continued. "Why don't you give her a call on the home phone, dear?"_

"'_Kay," Miley said, still giddy, as she examined her pink fingernails and noted that the polish was starting to chip. "Will do. Thanks, Miss T!"_

"_No problem, honey." _

_Miley told the older woman goodbye and hung up, rolling her eyes as she entered in the number she needed. Lilly was probably going crazy searching for her phone._

There was another flash of white and Miley snapped out of it, gasping.

It only took her a second to realize that the scene she'd just witnessed was exactly the help she needed.

One hand searched the bedside table wildly to find her phone and the other rested on the scar on her stomach. Quickly but carefully, she dialed the cell phone number she had just seen her younger self dial, praying that Lilly hadn't changed her number – if she existed in the first place, that is. Miley could only hope that the next number she dialed wouldn't be that of a mental hospital.

Miley's heart skipped a beat with every ring and finally, she heard another sound.

"Hello?" came a delicate voice.

Only then did Miley realize she had absolutely no idea what to say. "Um, may I speak to Lilly Truscott please?"

"You've got her," the young woman said, and Miley was suddenly aware that she was crying. "Who is this?"

For a second there was only silence.

"Lilly," Miley breathed into the phone after a moment. "My name is Miley Stewart. Do you remember me?"

**Tues. August 23, 2013****, Nick's car, Hollywood, California, 12:39 p.m.**

"We played soccer today," Peyton announced happily. "I was the_ bestest_ player of all, even better than the boys! I scored three whole goals!"

She held up two fingers in an effort to emphasize this, and Nick chuckled, holding up three of his own. She caught on and smiled sheepishly as she corrected herself.

"So you like playing soccer?"

"Yeah! Lots!"

Nick smiled. _I got my athlete._

"Some of the other girls like it too," Peyton went on, "But some of them don't. My very best friends all like it though."

"Oh? And who are they?"

Peyton took a deep breath and listed them off, "Emily, Anna, Hallie, Caitlin, and Kelsey."

Nick laughed lightly. "Sounds like you're pretty popular. Is this the same Anna I know?"

"Yep. Aunt Taylor's cousin. We have the exact same backpack, too. We thought that was really funny." She looked off into space for a second, thinking. "Wait. If my aunt is her cousin, are we related?"

Nick laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are. I don't know what that makes you though. Tell her I said hi, okay?"

His daughter nodded happily. "Okay." After a short pause she went on, "But Emily is my very best friend of all," she gave him a thoughtful smile that reminded him of Miley. "She's the one without a daddy. Sometimes I tell her all about what it's like to have one and she tells me what it's like to have a mommy."

Something about that melted Nick's heart and broke it at the same time.

"Kelsey doesn't have a mommy either," she continued as she fiddled with the zipper on her backpack. "But it's different, because she has two daddies."

"Ah."

It was quiet.

"After soccer we played with toys inside," she said after a minute. "It was really fun! We played house and I got to be the dog." She said this as if it were a huge honor and Nick smiled at her reflection in the mirror. "Then we were in the kitchen and Caitlin put the dollies in the sink!" She giggled.

"And then Hallie put the pot on her head and it was really funny, so she put it on my head too and then Anna's and Emily's and Caitlin's and Kelsey's. The teacher took a picture of us!"

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Nick said with a grin. "I'm so glad you're enjoying school so much. I think it's really good for you. Are you learning a lot?"

She nodded her tiny head. "Yeah! I even learned how to spell my name today! It's P-E-Y-T-O-N. I can't read the letters yet or write them by myself, but I can spell it..."

Nick laughed. "Soon you'll be able to read all kinds of words."

She smiled at the thought. "Guess what!" She said suddenly, and didn't wait for an answer. "Tomorrow we're doing show and tell! I have to find something special and then I can bring it in and show it to all the other kids."

He smiled. "Cool. What are you thinking of bringing?"

Peyton tapped her chin, and he had to laugh at how adorable she looked. "I don't know," she said finally, and then focused her big blue eyes on him, giving him a look that was almost nervous. "I really want to bring something of Mommy's. They're the most special things I have. But something might happen to it..."

She paused, looking at him expectantly. "What do you think?"

He gave her a sad smile. "I think your mother would be very proud of you."

**Mon. August 22, 2013, ****Miley's Hotel Suite****, Hollywood, California, 8:12 a.m.**

The only sound on the other end was a shocked gasp followed by silence. "M-Miley? No, t-that's impossible..."

"It's possible, I promise," Miley sighed out, "Do you believe me?"

Lilly sounded like she was crying now. "N-n-no, of course I don't! This is a really sick joke!"

"Joke? I'm –"

"I know you can't be Miley! What do you want?"

"I _am _Miley –"

"No, you're not!"

The moment of stillness between them was suffocating.

"I can prove it," Miley blurted out finally. "You were in love with our tenth grade history teacher. You have a secret tattoo of a flower on your butt. And you set Robby Carson's motorcycle on fire after he dumped you and you never got caught."

Lilly gasped. "I never told anyone any of those things!" she whispered. "I can't believe Miley spilled! She promised!"

"I _didn't _spill," Miley explained slowly. "I'm really Miley. I have a million other secrets of yours if you still don't believe me."

"I _don't _believe you."

"What makes you so sure I can't be Miley?"

Lilly's voice shook as she continued. "M-Miley...Miley's _dead_..."

"What?" Miley gasped in shock. "What do you mean I'm...w-what do you mean?"

"I mean, Miley's dead," Lilly said clearly. "Miley Stewart died in a car accident when we were seventeen."

"Explain that," Miley ordered hastily. "Tell me everything you know about my...Miley's death."

Lilly's voice was shocked and confused, but she obeyed. "Miley...and Nick, her boyfriend, went out for ice cream and they got in a horrible crash on the way home. She was..." Lilly paused to take a deep breath, as if it was painful for her just telling the story. "She was pregnant. The doctors tried to save her and the baby but it was too late...and they lost both of them. W-we didn't get to go to the funeral or anything because her dad wanted to bury her in Tennessee...next to her mom..."

Miley's eyes were closed, as the scene played in her mind. She had never been so confused before in her life. "What happened to Nick?" she choked out.

Lilly's tone took on even more sadness and confusion. "Nick's dead too," she said slowly, "He committed suicide a few days after the accident – overwhelmed with grief, as you can imagine. He did the gun-in-mouth thing. His brother found him dead before anyone else...and they were really close. It freaked him out so bad he went, like, borderline insane. He couldn't stand to see anything that reminded him of Nick so they moved really far away."

Miley's mind was working faster than it ever had before – trying desperately to piece together this puzzle, rotating the pieces when they didn't fit. "You're _sure _Nick's dead? Did you see his body?"

"Well, no. Too gruesome, they said."

Miley was silent, tears streaming down her face. "Lilly," she breathed. "Nick's not dead. And neither is Miley."

"Yes they are!" Lilly insisted, sounding frustrated. "I spoke to their families personally. What kind of sick fuck would lie about their kid being dead? And _who are you?"_

"I told you." Miley spoke slowly and carefully, trying not to show any trace of impatience in her voice. "I am Miley Stewart. And I'm not dead."

"I-I..." Lilly swallowed, obviously thinking just as hard as Miley. "I know she's dead! If she wasn't she would have contacted me a long time ago!"

"That's kind of a long story," Miley said. "Let's just say...that accident did kill a part of me, but I'm starting to come back to life."

"What?"

"I lost my memory. It was supposed to be permanent, but...I think it's starting to come back. That's why I never called before now."

Lilly only sniffled, clearly crying. "M-M-Miley...is it really you?"

"Yes." Miley smiled slightly. "It seems weird to say this after that conversation, but it's so nice to hear your voice again, Lilly."

"Oh my gosh..." Lilly let out a squeaky sob and something about it was very familiar and soothing. "Miley, I thought I lost you forever..."

More tears were dripping down Miley's face. "Of course not. Best friends for all eternity, remember?"

Lilly sobbed again. "Miles, where are you?"

"Some fancy-ass hotel in Hollywood."

"Wow..." Lilly sighed. "So I guess there's no chance of a meeting?"

"Well, where are you?"

"Still in Wyckoff."

_New Jersey, _Miley thought rapidly. _That fits in here somewhere..._

"But...you know," Lilly continued, not sounding quite so sad anymore, "I've always wanted to visit California..."

**Tues. August 23, 2013, ****Miley's Hotel Suite****, Hollywood, California, 12:39 p.m.**

Miley's glazed-over eyes moved swiftly over the pages she had printed out – old news articles from New Jersey, all about a pregnant teen who died in a car crash and her boyfriend who killed himself. Very depressing, actually. She would have found the stories quite sad, if they weren't about herself.

Silently, she folded the papers and tucked them into her suitcase. She glanced around in her bags one more time, making sure she had everything she would need for a few days.

With a deep sigh, she pressed her hand to her stomach again and picked up her cell phone, hardly even looking as she dialed her friend's number.

"Hello?"

"Tay," Miley sighed into the phone, "I'm gonna be gone for a few days. Don't try to call or anything, okay? It's urgent." She paused for only a split-second, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

"I'm going back to Tennessee. I need to speak with my father."

* * *

**Uhhh Ohhh.**

**So. The little part with Peyton and Nick in the car didn't seem very important, but it actually has a bit of foreshadowing in it (two different things). So until the next update you guys can work on figuring that out. xD Good thing you won't have to think very long if you reviewwww...**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Hey everyone! So listen, I went through this chapter and chapter twelve and kind of changed some stuff. I've decided that Miley and Peyton won't meet until chapter thirteen. Now, before you all take out your pitchforks, let me tell you that the chapters will be a lot better now than they would have been before and that I tried really hard to make sure the meeting is worth the wait. Please don't kill me! Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to: ****XoXoNiLeY2010, p3aCel0vEaNddAncE, AprilRainer18, smileeex8, Mz Fizzle, nileyfan1, smileymee16, nienlovesjonas, Blah, xssofiaa, SaritaHsM, JustJulz, JOJOATIA, sheri, lcxx916, Desirrie, annaissmiling, Kristen, electroapplee, mcandnj61106, rubberducky, and someone with no name. I really loved reading all the reviews for the last chapter, about how emotional everyone was and everything, that's AMAZING to me. I love you guys and thank you so much for all the reviews!**

**rubberducky: Since your review wasn't signed I'll answer your question here. Thanks soo much, and yes, I know exactly where this story is going. I have everything all planned for this story...I've been making some changes like I said above, but I think I know everything for sure now. :) Thanks for reading and glad you like it!**

****

Disclaimer: Meh. If I owned anything involving the Jonas Brothers they would be underwear models.

* * *

**Wed. August 24, 2013, Stewart Residence, Franklin, Tennessee, 11:58 a.m.**

Miley's eyes filled with tears as she stared up at the house she had once called home. It felt strange and unfamiliar now, as if something had changed. It was a cold, lonely feeling and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, swallowing hard as she reminded herself that she was used to being lonely.

She glanced down at the papers in her hand. Did she really want to do this?

She knew she _needed _to. She had to find out what her father was hiding from her. But that was just it – part of her didn't want to know. She had a special relationship with her father and part of her didn't want to ruin that by asking him such forward questions about her past.

And she had a feeling she wouldn't like the answers.

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and sighed lightly when she wasn't comforted by the scent of the Tennessee air.

_Why should I do it? _she thought. _How could I even think my daddy would hide this from me?_

Keeping her eyes closed, she relaxed and waited for the answer to come to her. After a few silent seconds, she was met with the now familiar flash of white light.

"_No," Miley said firmly, her hand resting protectively on her stomach, her eyes overflowing with tears._

"_Yes," her father said back, taking a step closer to her, "Don't you get it Miley? This is going to ruin your life! You are sixteen fucking years old! A baby is the last thing you need!"_

"_That doesn't matter!" she shouted back, clutching her flat stomach tighter. "So I made a mistake! It's not the baby's fault! My baby doesn't deserve to die!"_

_She was so hysterical she could hardly see, but she could tell her father was steaming. "You're underage," he said, as if it were simple. "I am your father and you do as I say. You are getting an abortion, and that's final!" He spoke as if he was trying to end the conversation, but they both knew it was far from over._

"_No!" she screamed again, sobbing. "It doesn't matter how old I am! It's my body, it's my baby, and it's my decision! I'm not killing it!" Her salty tears burned her skin and she angrily wiped them away._

"_Yes, you are, or you'll have to find somewhere else to have that kid, because you're not living in my house with it!"_

"_Fine!" she screeched, her voice ripping through another octave. "I don't care! I don't _want _my baby to live here! I'll stay with Nick!" She paused to catch her breath and glared at him. "His parents are handling this whole thing a hell of a lot more maturely than you are, by the way."_

_Billy Ray rolled his eyes cruelly. "Yeah, because none of this matters to them! They've probably even been through it before, with those hooligan brothers of his! You don't get it Miley - you're stuck with this baby; Nick's not. He's gonna disappear one day and when he does, don't come crying to me!"_

_Miley sobbed again. "You're such an ass!" she screamed, because she couldn't think of anything else to say._

"_Well, excuse me for being mad that my teenage daughter was running around like a little whore!" he yelled at her. Suddenly both of them stopped shouting and it was dead silent for a few minutes._

"_I can't believe you," she said finally. "You really want me to murder my child?"_

"_I don't want you to throw your life away," he told her firmly. "I don't want you stuck at home with a baby while all your friends are out at the prom. I don't want you dropping out of school."_

"_Did it ever occur to you that maybe I _want _to take responsibility of my actions? That maybe I _want _to raise this baby with Nick?"_

_For a moment it was as if the whole world stopped in anticipation, both of them staring each other down._

"_Your mother would have been so disappointed in you," was all he said. Then he turned and walked down the hall to his room, leaving her to collapse onto the couch and cry._

There was that flash of white again, and Miley stumbled backwards, almost falling. Her vision was blurry with tears and her hands were attached firmly to her stomach. She closed her eyes again as she quickly went through several more memories – apologies, forgiveness, love. He hadn't meant any of it; he was only angry.

But she seemed to feel differently now than she did the first time around.

She had never seen such fire in her father's eyes. Never had she seen him so angry, so disappointed in her. She was almost afraid of him. The way he was looking at her – like if she didn't get an abortion he would tackle her to the ground and kill the baby himself.

She no longer had any doubts. She was going to do this.

She approached the door to her old home, and thought about how weird it seemed to call it that. It didn't feel like home anymore. Did that mean California was her home?

Or did she not have a home at all?

Slowly, she let out a shaky breath and rested her hand on that scar on her stomach. She felt foolish doing so, as she obviously knew she wasn't pregnant anymore, but she still felt some strange need to protect her dead baby from her father.

Her dead baby. What a sad, disgusting thought that was.

Holding protectively to her empty stomach, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

It was only a few minutes later that the door opened, and her father appeared, looking as if she'd just woken him from a nap. His face lit up when he saw her. For a second, she felt like she should have been happy to see him too.

"Miles!" he greeted happily. "What a surprise! What are you doing here?"

She swallowed roughly. "I came because I have some questions for you."

Silently, she held up the folded papers in her hands and he got the hint and took them from her, casually unfolding them as he gave her a look of confusion. His eyes widened as they read over the articles, and she watched them closely. It was at least five minutes later when he looked back up at her.

"I want the truth," she told him calmly, trying as hard as she could not to cry just yet. "What happened to me four years ago?"

**Wed. August 24, 2013, Bright Beginnings Preschool, Hollywood, California, 11:58 a.m.**

Nick leaned back against the wall, sighing as he glanced around at the other parents who were gathered in the hallway with him. Part of him would always hate being grouped with other parents of kids his daughter's age. He always seemed so young, and people gave him those looks – those judging, criticizing, look-how-irresponsible-he-is looks that made him feel like he was a horrible person, when in reality he hadn't done anything all that wrong. _So what if I was seventeen when my daughter was born? I stayed and raised her, when technically I didn't have to. Doesn't that count for anything?_

One of the other fathers, who was young-looking but still a good deal older than Nick, trailed his eyes across Nick's body and landed on his face. He lightly shook his head to himself with a disapproving expression, as if he thought Nick didn't belong there.

Nick sighed again. _Apparently not._

The door to the small classroom opened and a flood of tiny heads and swinging backpacks and colorful clothing came rushing into the hallway, squealing with excitement as the parents tried to locate their own kid and grab hold of them quickly.

Nick searched through the crowd, trying to spot his daughter's dark braids in the mess of wild, post-preschool hair that was swarming around his feet.

A wave of panic flashed through him when he realized he couldn't find Peyton anywhere.

Something was wrong here. Peyton should have been one of the first out of the room, yelling for him before jumping into his arms and excitedly telling him all about her day before he could get a word in edgewise. Breathing slowly, he continued looking around, calling his daughter's name quietly as the other parents and their children gradually started to leave.

When almost all of the other families were gone and the hallway was much quieter, he heard something like sniffles coming from inside the room. Curiously, he tried to get around the remaining people in the hall and move closer to the door.

"You're daddy's looking for you," someone was saying in a soft voice, and he recognized it to be Peyton's teacher, known as Miss Katie.

Another voice mumbled something and he breathed out in relief as he realized it was his daughter.

"I'm sure he won't be upset," Miss Katie continued as Nick fought his way over to the door of the classroom. "He'll be worried that you're so sad, though."

More mumbling from Peyton. Quietly, Nick slipped into the room, knocking lightly on the wall and forcing a small smile as the two ladies turned to face him.

Peyton hid her tearful face in her hands, but the teacher stood up and smiled at him. "What did I miss?" Nick asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

The teacher's smile was slightly sad as she reached out her hand to Peyton, who stared at it but made no attempt to move.

"Peyton," Miss Katie said sweetly, "Come and tell your dad why you're upset, please."

Peyton clapped a tiny hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

Silently Nick leaned down to his daughter's level, holding out his arms for her.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked her, his brown eyes filled with concern.

She looked at him for a minute, unsure, but made a decision quickly and reached out for him.

"Daddy..." Peyton sobbed as she collapsed into her father's arms.

"Peyton, honey..." Nick rubbed her back soothingly, cuddling her close to him as he tried to think of something that could have gone wrong today. "What's wrong?"

"I lost it!" she screeched, burying her head into his shoulder.

"What?" Nick wrinkled his brow in confusion. "What did you lose?"

"M-Mommy's hair clip," Peyton said tearfully, looking into his eyes now, and he frowned at the heartbroken look he found in her blue orbs. "With the blue flower. I took it in for show and tell a-and I know I put it back in my backpack, but now it's not there! The whole class looked for it and e-everything! It's gone!"

She sniffed, choking on another sob as she cried out in a devastatingly tiny voice: "_I lost it!"_

"Oh, P," he said softly, not knowing what else to say.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought it," she said sadly as he snuggled her closer to him. "It was the most special thing I had and now I'll never get it back!"

"It's okay," he soothed, rubbing her back. "Maybe it will turn up somewhere. And if it doesn't, you'll still be okay, because you don't need an object to have a special memory."

She only sniffled, pressing her tear-streaked face into her neck and contorting one arm around his to scratch her head. "Mommy would be mad that I lost it."

He pulled her away from his shoulder so she was facing him, and gently wiped her tears away. "Hey, don't say that," he told her softly. "That's not true. It was only an accident; I understand that and your mother would too. She would never be mad about this, okay? Nobody's mad at you."

She wiped her eyes, letting out a shaky breath as she reached up to scratch just above her ear. "Okay," she said, but he couldn't tell how much she believed him.

"Good girl," he cooed, affectionately brushing some lose strands of hair from her face as he wondered how she had managed to get some hair free of the braids. He scooped her up effortlessly and got to his feet, his daughter still clinging to his neck. "Would a trip to the park make you feel better?"

Peyton managed a small smile. "Will you push me really high on the swings?" she asked in a tiny voice

He kissed the tip of her nose, giving her a loving smile. "Of course."

**Wed. August 24, 2013, Stewart Residence, Franklin, Tennessee, 12:04 a.m.**

"How did you..." Billy stared at his daughter with wild, confused eyes. How much did she know?

"I kind of ran into a familiar face," she told him nonchalantly, crossing her arms as she kept her intense gaze on him. She noticed his face pale as he realized she meant Nick. "I guess you could say it jogged my memory. I started seeing all these things that seemed so far-off and impossible. It took me forever to realize that they had really happened..."

She stared into his eyes as she tried to read his emotions, and pressed one hand against that scar. It burned her skin.

"And I'd like to know why the hell I didn't know about them until now."

"What...what exactly do you think you _remembered_?" He was treading carefully, trying to make sure he didn't tell her more than she already knew, trying not to damage anything more than it already was.

"You know exactly what I remembered," she told him coldly, gesturing to the papers clutched tightly in his right hand. "Being in love...being _pregnant_..." Her blue eyes burned his as she looked at him with an anger he had never seen.

"Getting in this horrible accident..." She pressed her hand tighter against her abdomen. "And then suddenly, I have a whole new life."

She shook her head. "I believed everything you told me. I didn't know any better. I couldn't even think that my own _father _would hide my entire life from me."

She took a deep breath, and he didn't say anything in protest. He didn't see the sense in lying until he could think up a good cover, so he remained silent.

"But apparently he did." She spoke slowly. "And I want to know _why_ and I want to know _how, _right now."

He only diverted his eyes, and noticed a couple of neighbors staring. "Why don't you come inside?" He said slowly, more as a statement than a question, keeping his eyes on the curious neighbors so she would catch on.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "Whatever. Just tell me."

Five minutes later they were inside, sitting across from each other and once again staring each other down.

He licked his dry lips, breathing deeply. "Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning," she said simply, and he chuckled humorlessly. "It began when you brought home that damn boy."

She said nothing – only continued to stare at him. He went on:

"I liked him at first. Then he broke your heart, and you were so devastated..." He paused, collecting himself. "And you still got back together with him. He changed you; he made you grow up too fast. And then he fucking knocked you up."

He shook his head, seeming disgusted at the memory. "And you refused to do anything about it. I was ready to face that. Ready to let you throw your entire life away. I didn't have a choice."

He paused again, looking straight into her eyes, and for the first time since the accident he saw his old daughter staring back at him.

"And then there was the day you almost died," he continued. "_All because of that boy and that baby._ I almost lost you..." He trailed off angrily, but still she remained silent.

"You don't understand," he told her, and suddenly he realized they were both crying. "You had your whole life ahead of you. You had big plans and dreams and you were ready to throw them all away because of a mistake you made when you were sixteen. That boy would have ruined your entire life."

He shook his head, as if his reasoning was obvious. "I finally had a choice. I had a chance to stop you from giving everything up; to take back the mistake for you. So I did."

She said nothing for a long time, closing her eyes and taking everything in. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at him like he was a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe.

"So your pregnant daughter almost died, lost her baby, and lost her memory, and the only thing you're concerned about is making sure the boy she loves can't see her anymore?"

He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again as her words sunk in. _She thinks the baby's dead...?_

He almost rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. Of course that's what she thought. How could she not assume that, if she really remembered the accident?

He blinked once, staring her down. If she didn't know, he wasn't going to tell her.

"Nick ruined your life," Miley's father told her quietly. "He had already caused too much damage. I couldn't just let him stay and mess you up any further. So I sent him away and I never told you about him or the baby." He shrugged, as if none of it was a big deal. "I didn't think you needed to know."

She had a million things to say to him at this point, but was intent on waiting until the very end. "How did you force Nick to leave?" It came out almost in a whisper and she was mad at herself for seeming weak.

Billy's eyes showed no emotion. "I didn't force him to do anything. The choice was completely his. I threatened him. Told him if he ever saw you again I'd kill his family."

He shrugged again. "He made his choice. He was gone within hours."

Miley angrily wiped the tears off of her face, standing up quickly as her hand left her stomach for the first time since she'd reached the house.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tears flooded out of her eyes faster than she could wipe them away and she made a noise of frustration as she shoved her hair away from her face. "How could you do something like this? How could you hide something so important from me?" She was screaming now.

"How could you take away the love of my life? Just because you _thought _he was ruining all those plans _you _had for my future..." She shook her head at him, disgusted. "You bastard! Did you ever think that maybe if I had the choice I would have chosen Nick over you?"

He stood up too, grabbing her arm. "I don't care how old you are, you show me respect, young lady!" he yelled, in an attempt to take back his authority.

She gave him the most disgusted, angry look he had ever seen on anyone's face. "_Don't you dare touch me!" _she shrieked, ripping her arm out of his grip. "I don't have to show you any respect! You're not my father anymore!"

She could hardly see through her tears as she continued, not giving him time to speak up, "I hope you're fucking happy now. You tried to take away the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and now you've lost everything too. You'll never see me again."

She shook her head lightly. "You're lucky you've lived this long," she spat. "When God or _Mom _finally strikes you down, don't expect to see me at the funeral."

She stomped past him and out the door, well aware that he was following her. She got in her car and locked the door just as he tried to pull it open, giving her a look of anger and hurt. She stared straight ahead as she backed out of the driveway, hoping she hit him as she drove away.

Miley kept a careful eye on her rear-view mirror, making sure nobody was following her. She sighed as she tried once again to stop the tears, resting one hand on her stomach again as she stopped at a red light. She hoped she would be able to catch the soonest flight out of Tennessee. She thought she should have felt some sort of sadness knowing that she would never be back in her hometown again, but she didn't.

She was going back to California. But not to her hotel. She knew exactly where she was going this time.

She was going _home._

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**Well. That was a cheerful chapter, wasn't it? Next chapter is Niley's meeting! YAY! The way I originally wrote this, Miley found out from her father that Peyton was alive, connected her with the picture she saw and tracked her down before she ever went back to Nick. Now Miley and Nick will meet first, and I really think this version is better. :) There's still some light foreshadowing in the parts with Nick and Peyton. It's nothing major in the story so don't work too hard to figure it out...it's just another little thing to make Nick's life more difficult. :D**

**Reviews make an author work harder!**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Hey everyone! Ready for the Niley Reunion? :) Parts of this chapter you guys will hate, I'm telling you now. But first pay attention to this dedication: ****lcxx916, MILEYJONASARMY, smileymee16, smileeex8, Mz Fizzle, p3aCel0vEaNddAncE, kness25, AprilRainer18, nileyfan1, Mary, Desirrie, nienlovesjonas, xssofiaa, SaritaHsM, Kat, JOJOATIA, priscilovesniley, gottaloveniley, rubberducky, fallingstar2008, FinnHudsonFanatic, xsamsmileyy, JustToLetYouKnow, and electroapplee. And if you're keeping track, that's TWENTY-SIX reviews for the last chapter, which is by far the most any chapter has gotten so far! THAT IS FUCKING AMAZING! Annnnndd this story has 176 reviews total, so if you guys can do twenty-four for this chapter and hit two hundred, I will be the happiest author on this whole website. But I'm sure you just want to read the story now. :)**

**rubberducky: nah, I read disclaimers too xD sorry about your ankle. :( hope this makes it better!**

**Disclaimer: You should really have gotten the picture by now.**

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**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 9:07 a.m.**

"Daddy," Peyton said from where she was perched at the table, watching her father prepare two bowls of cereal. "My head hurts."

Nick frowned, turning away from the task at hand and walking over to his daughter. He rested one hand on her forehead; she didn't feel warm... "Do you want some medicine?"

She shook her head. "It's not a headache," she said simply, and when she noticed the confused look on his face she went on, "My head hurts because I scratched it so much. It's itchy."

Nick thought for a second, still seeming confused. "Maybe you have a dry scalp or something," he said. "Go get me your comb and I'll take a closer look at your head, okay?"

She nodded, running out of the room and returning a minute later with her purple comb in one hand. He took it and started running it through her hair gently, trying to find the source of the problem.

He gasped suddenly, cursing under his breath, and Peyton's eyes widened.

"What?" she asked, sounding panicked. "What's wrong with my head?"

"Nothing, Honey," he told her slowly, "I'm sorry I startled you. It's just...do you know what head lice is?"

"No," she said, after thinking for a moment. "What's that?"

He sighed slightly. "Head lice are little bugs that crawl around in your hair."

"_Bugs?"_ she shrieked, horrified. "In my _hair_? Get them out!"

"I can't," he told her, "I think you have to use special shampoo or something. There's this hair salon a few miles away that can do it; I'll try to make an appointment for today, okay?"

"Okay...but how did they get in my hair?" Peyton asked, still seeming appalled by the idea.

"Lice are contagious. You probably caught it from someone at school..." he trailed off, remembering her story from a couple days earlier. "Wait. Who was it you shared the pot with when you played house at school?"

Peyton thought back for a second. "Hallie had it first, then me, then Anna and Emily and Caitlin and then Kelsey."

"I'm guessing you got it from Hallie, then," he told her, as he went back to preparing her breakfast. Peyton wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Hallie has bugs in her hair too?"

Nick chuckled at the way she said it. "All of your friends do, probably."

"Ew," was all she said to that.

He placed a bowl of cereal in front of her. "Go on and eat your breakfast, and then I'll make an appointment for your hair, okay?"

"Okay," she said, picking up her spoon and digging in. Just as Nick was about to start on his own breakfast, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm Christina Andrews; your daughter is in the same preschool class as my daughter, Hallie. You're Peyton's father, right?"

Nick closed his eyes. "Yep, and I bet I know exactly why you're calling..."

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Joe and Taylor's House, Hollywood, California, 12:19 p.m.**

"They did _what?_"

Nick laughed at his brother's expression. "Picked each and every single louse off of her head with a comb and put them in a bucket."

"That is so gross," Joe laughed. "And you had it too?"

Nick nodded. "Not nearly as bad, though."

"It was yucky," Peyton added from her spot on the floor, looking up from the drawing she was working on with her aunt.

Joe laughed again. "I bet it was."

Nick glanced at his watch and stood up. "Come on, P, we better get going. We have to go grocery shopping today, remember?"

Peyton made a noise of protest, holding up her picture. "But I'm not done yet!"

Before Nick could respond, Joe spoke up: "Why don't you let her chill here for a while?"

Peyton smiled at the idea and Nick sighed. "You guys sure?"

Taylor stood up, brushing off her knees. "Absolutely. We still have some unpacking to do; she can play in the empty boxes or something." She smiled at Peyton playfully. "Sounds like she could use some cheering up anyway, after those hair buggies messed up her morning."

Peyton giggled as she got to her knees on the floor. "Please, Daddy?"

He smiled at her. "Okay."

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Miley's Car, Hollywood, California, 1:47 p.m.**

Miley was suddenly aware of how often she seemed to get lost lately.

She had no address for Nick's house, and she hadn't been in the right state of mind to pay much attention when he had driven her there before. Now she was driving around town trying to find something familiar, wishing she had somehow known she would need the address later.

She drove on for what felt like forever, not recognizing anything in this part of town. It occurred to her that she could go back to the club and find her way from there, but she couldn't bring herself to go back there, even during the day.

Suddenly she came across a street that she seemed to recognize. Her heart filled with hope and, praying she wasn't making a mistake, she turned, and all of the sudden things seemed a lot more familiar.

She turned down a couple more roads and found herself in a neighborhood surprisingly small and quiet for Hollywood. She smiled; she was in the right place.

She stopped in front of the eleventh house, taking a deep breath as she looked it over. Somehow she could recognize it without even a hint of doubt.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled into the driveway.

She sat in the car for a moment, collecting herself, trying not to lose her nerve. Slowly she got out and her feet led her to the door with no help from her brain. She rang the doorbell once and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

A few moments later, the door opened and she was staring into two beautiful, shocked brown eyes.

"Nick," she gasped out, and before either of them knew what was happening she had launched herself into his arms and locked her fingers in his hair, crashing their lips together in a very passionate kiss.

Neither of them knew how long they stood like that, their lips connected, their bodies fitting perfectly against each other, their minds racing.

Nick had never been so confused in his life. What was going on? Miley didn't have a clue who he was; so why was she here kissing him as if she'd been in love with him for years?

The sparks they both felt were so sharp and powerful that neither one of them could focus on anything except the other. It was so familiar to them in the strangest way. The feeling of each other's lips, their skin, their hair. They hadn't been together in years and now it was like they had never been apart.

When they both started to get lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, they pulled away from each other, and Nick realized that his arms were wrapped around her body protectively, hers still tangled in his curly hair.

"Miley..." he whispered after a moment, still trying to catch his breath. "What are you doing here?"

Salty tears ran down her face and into her mouth. "I love you," she told him, and his confusion grew, but not as much as his happiness. "I..." She trailed off, lifting one hand and running it along his cheek. Several more new memories greeted her – love, happiness, laughter, gentleness. Two kids in love.

"I _remember _you," she finished, and he only stared at her, willing himself to wake up from this odd and cruel dream.

When he didn't, he pulled her to him again, resting his head on her shoulder. "Miley," he said again, his voice shaking with emotion as his eyes welled up with tears. "I love you," he whispered into her ear, and the two stood there for several moments, just holding each other.

When they finally pulled away, they looked at each other in silence for a few minutes. "Where are my manners?" he said quietly after a moment, a small smile playing on his lips. "Please come in."

She smiled back at him and allowed him to lead her into the house. Moments later they found themselves in the bedroom, relaxing against the pillows and holding each other close, as Nick worked up the courage to ask the questions he knew he needed to ask.

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Joe and Taylor's House, Hollywood, California, 2:00 p.m.**

"I'm the queen of the castle!" Peyton announced happily, as she stood proudly on top of a tower of four large cardboard boxes. Taylor and Joe laughed at her as they went about unpacking the rest of their things nearby.

Suddenly Peyton lost her balance and tumbled off of her tower, squealing, only to land safely in her uncle's arms. The boxes fell down around them and she shrieked with laughter, as Joe held her up to his face, yanking her shirt up and playfully blowing a raspberry on her exposed stomach before pulling her shirt back down.

"Be more careful next time, Your Highness," Joe instructed with a smile as he placed his niece back on her feet. She only giggled.

Moments later the castle of boxes had been transformed into a secret invisible fort, and she was inside one, peeking over the top of another and spying on her aunt and uncle, who pretended to be wondering where she went and looking for her.

"Uncle Joe," she said after a minute, crawling out of her fort and temporarily ending her game. "Aunt Taylor, I'm hungry."

Joe stood up, smiling as he offered her his hand. "Come on, then, let's get a snack."

The two walked into the kitchen together, Taylor choosing to finish organizing the current box she was working on before joining them.

"Your dad won't let me give you anymore junk food," Joe explained as he opened the fridge. "You're always too hyper when you get home. How about something healthy instead?"

Peyton made a face. "Like what?"

He glanced around the fridge for a second. "You like carrots?"

"No!"

"How about strawberries?"

Peyton thought for a second. "I've never had those," she said.

"Never?" he asked, leaning his head away from the refrigerator to look at her.

"I've had strawberry flavored candies," she said brightly. "But daddy said those don't have real strawberries in them."

"Here, try some," he told her, as he prepared a small bowl of the fruit for her. "They're good."

He set the bowl down in front of her on the table, grabbing one of the strawberries for himself as he sat down across from her.

She took one and examined it for a moment before taking a bite.

"Mmm," she giggled out after a moment, her mouth still full. "Yummy!" She finished off her strawberry and grabbed another one. Joe smiled.

When she swallowed the first bite of her second strawberry, something started to feel off.

She coughed slightly, dropping her half-eaten strawberry into the bowl and raising one hand to her throat.

"Uncle Joe," she said in an odd, course voice. "My throat feels scratchy..."

He stopped chewing, his eyes widening slowly as he looked her over. Beads of sweat were growing on her forehead, her lips were swollen and her breath sounded strange.

"Are you alright, P?" he said quickly, standing up and walking around the table to be next to her.

She was trying to tell him something, but the only things she could get out were gasps. Her face was turning red and she was grasping at her throat, struggling to breath. She looked at him with panicked eyes as she started to cry, silently asking him to help her. A million crazed thoughts ran through Joe's head.

_She's allergic to strawberries._

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 2:00 p.m.**

"How did this happen?" Nick finally asked, as he ran his fingers through Miley's hair, relishing in the long-missed feeling of Miley's head on his chest. "I thought you forgot everything..."

Miley focused on her finger, which was lazily drawing imaginary shapes on Nick's chest, as she said quietly, "Do you remember that night I spent here, when I woke up so scared?"

"Of course," he said gently. How could he have forgotten?

"The dream I had..." she licked her dry lips, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "It wasn't a dream. It was a memory. I saw us...a younger version of us...in this horrible car accident..."

Nick stopped breathing, his eyes wide.

"I thought it was just a weird dream," she went on, determined to get the whole story out before she started crying. "But then I started seeing other things too – other dreams. And then I realized they were actually memories."

She took a deep breath. "So I went to see my father."

Nick still wasn't breathing. Several thoughts raced through his mind and he couldn't think of anything except fear. Peyton...

Miley bit her lip as she looked at him. "And he told me everything," she finished slowly.

Nick swallowed, his heart heavy as he realized he would probably have to leave Miley behind and never see her again, wondering how far he and Peyton could get from California in twenty-four hours.

"How much do you remember?" he asked carefully, suddenly picking up on the fact that she hadn't yet asked about Peyton.

"There are a lot of missing links," she said honestly, gently nuzzling her head into his neck and smiling lightly at the complete comfort it gave her. "Mostly I remember us, being in love. I don't remember anything that doesn't involve you."

She sighed. "I remember being pregnant, too," she said slowly, feeling the first tear run down her face and onto Nick's chest. He wiped it off of her cheek, still staring straight ahead as his own eyes filled with tears.

He waited for the inevitable next question, but it didn't come. Glancing down at Miley's face, he caught an expression of pure sadness.

_She must think..._ Nick's mind struggled to keep up as he put two and two together.

Of course. She saw the accident...all the blood...she assumed the worst, and her father didn't tell her any different.

Nick wasn't sure how he felt about that realization. Part of him was relieved. His main priority was Peyton's safety. But he felt sad and guilty at the same time. Miley deserved to know; and Peyton deserved to have her mother.

"What do you remember about it?" he asked her finally, his hands running comfortingly over her arms.

Miley managed a sad smile. "Almost everything, I think," she said, "I remember how scared we were, but how excited we were at the same time...I remember buying all the clothes and the furniture, all the doctor's appointments, picking her name..." Tears were falling more and more rapidly. "I remember feeling so terrified and yet so happy, knowing that we had this little miracle coming who would love us no matter what..."

She sniffled as she paused, pressing her face into his soft shirt. She smiled slightly again. "I remember how amazed you were by every little thing," she said, smiling fondly at the memories as more tears streamed down her face. "The ultrasounds, the kicks, the heartbeat; you thought the whole experience was the most beautiful thing ever..."

She pressed one hand to that scar on her stomach, one single perfect tear running down her cheek. "And it was."

Every single word rang in Nick's ears and he was quickly approaching the most dangerous decision of his life.

"Do you...do you know what happened to the baby?" he asked, his voice cracking through his emotion.

Miley held in a sob, pulling her face gently away from his shirt to speak. "The accident..." she couldn't bring herself to say it, but she knew he knew what she meant. "Right?"

She looked directly into his eyes for the first time since they'd started talking, and the only thing he could see was his daughter's innocent blue eyes staring up at him, asking him about her mother.

"Wrong."

Confusion grew on Miley's face as he looked away from her, breathing slowly, working up his nerve. There was no going back now.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, and he gently pulled away from her, reaching into his pocket. She looked on, puzzled, as Nick opened his wallet and simply stared at something for a long moment.

Nick gently ran his thumb over the image of his daughter's face. It was the most recent picture he had of her, from the morning of her first day of preschool. Her expression was one of sheer happiness, her smile wide and her eyes bright.

Nick swallowed hard, gently pulling the picture out of his wallet completely. _She has a right to know. They both do._

"Miley..." he said slowly, looking up into his love's confused face.

"This is Peyton..." he went on, holding the picture out for her to take, "Your daughter."

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Joe and Taylor's House, Hollywood, California, 2:37 p.m.**

"_Taylor!"_ Joe screamed desperately across the house, as he scooped up his niece and started rushing towards the door. Taylor must have sensed the panic in his voice because instead of calling back, she came running into the room. "What? What's wrong?"

Then she looked at Peyton and simply gasped.

"I gave her something she must be allergic to," Joe explained hastily as he continued towards the door, holding Peyton's small body close to his chest as she went on gasping for breath. "Get your keys; we have to go to the hospital."

Taylor nodded, rushing back into her kitchen to get her car keys from the counter, and as some sort of maternal feelings hit her she reached over and grabbed the small teddy bear from the table as well.

"It's gonna be okay," Joe was whispering when Taylor climbed into the car a minute later. He was in the back seat, holding Peyton to him the same way as before rather than putting her in her own seat. "You're gonna be fine..."

Peyton was crying and gasping harder by the second as she clung to her uncle's shirt, trying to keep her eyes open and focus on his face. He was trying to look calm, so she would be calm too, but she saw right past it. Through the haze clouding her vision she could clearly make out the panic and fear in her uncle's eyes – her _father's_ eyes.

She sobbed and looked away.

Someone pressed her teddy into her hands and she clung to it tightly, wishing she could inhale his familiar calming scent.

The amount of air she was getting with each strangled breath seemed to be shrinking by the second. The world was falling away around her, fading to black, and the only thing in the world she wanted was her daddy.

Her eyes were falling closed, her gasps becoming less desperate, as if she was running out of energy. She fought to stay awake, trying hard to say her uncle's name, to ask him what was wrong with her.

But she couldn't, and with one last sharp attempt at a breath, the world faded away around her.

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 2:37 p.m.**

Miley could have sworn her heart stopped when she looked at the picture he handed her.

Nick's words took a moment to fully register. Her baby, the precious little angel she had thought was gone forever, was not dead. She was alive and well, living with her father and missing her mother the same way her mother missed her.

And she was absolutely, without a doubt the most beautiful child Miley had ever seen.

She realized almost instantly that she had seen this little girl before. It was the same girl from Taylor's picture. The one she had felt such an incredible connection to, the one that had brought on so many visions and memories.

Gently, she traced the details of the little girl's face with one finger, unknowingly doing the same exact thing her daughter had done with her picture. She ran her fingers along the little girl's eyes, a perfect mirror of her own; her smile, which was also her own but had a certain quality of Nick's as well. Her nose was Nick's for sure, and so was her hair, but she smiled as she noticed that most of Peyton's facial features came from her. She was the perfect mixture of her parents.

She couldn't tear her eyes off of her daughter's. She was crying harder than before, but the tears were no longer sad – confused and overwhelmed, maybe, but not sad. She was thrilled. Her heart was soaring and, as shocked as she was, she could only focus on the love she felt for this little girl.

"Wow..." she whispered slowly, still running her fingers over her angel's face. _Her baby was alive. _

Nick was only watching her, sitting back and giving her time to adjust to the shock. He was crying too, but his tears were more of regret. He couldn't believe his own selfishness and stupidity. He had done so much to protect his little girl. He had given up the only other person he loved as much as he loved her.

And now he was probably going to lose them both.

For a brief moment he wondered if it would be easier to kill himself first. Peyton would be well taken care of; Kevin and Dani had promised to take her in if anything ever happened to Nick, and they could keep her away from Miley. Vanish in the middle of the night just like they had all done four years ago. If he was out of the picture anyway then maybe _that man_ would have no reason to come after Peyton.

Then he shook his head. That would be even more selfish.

"She looks like you," Miley said quietly, after a long moment of silence. Nick snorted. "Uh, she looks a lot more like you."

Miley shook her head. "The major things look more like me," she explained. "But the little details are all yours. The curve of her chin, her eyebrows, that sparkle in her eyes..."

Nick smiled. He had noticed these things himself a time or two, but no one else had ever commented on them before. He shrugged. "The only thing I see when I look at her is you..."

She looked up into his eyes, breaking her gaze with the little girl for the first time. "That must be hard for you, huh?" she whispered sadly, with a hint of something like guilt.

He gave her a sad smile. "Sometimes," he said truthfully. "But usually I'm grateful. Her looks are the greatest tie she's ever had to you, sadly..."

Miley turned her sad gaze back to the picture. "Can I meet her?" she asked, so quietly it was almost inaudible as she looked back up at Nick.

He swallowed hard. "I..."

He closed his eyes, and she was shocked to see him start crying again. "I don't think that's a good idea..." he managed to say, and she stared at him in confusion.

Gently she reached out and brushed his tears away the same way he had done for her, and when their skin connected, that scar on her stomach tingled and a wave of understanding washed over her.

"That's how he got you to leave, isn't it?" she said quietly, but her volume and her anger grew with each word. "That's how he got you to leave me..." She didn't need to specify who she was talking about. Nick already knew and even if he hadn't, she didn't think she could bring herself to call him her father.

"He threatened to kill Peyton." It was the most horrifying sentence that had ever left her lips.

Nick only nodded, looking away from her.

"Look at me," she commanded gently, and he did, glancing up at her with sad eyes as he wiped more tears from his cheeks.

"I'll take care of him," she went on, speaking fiercely. "I won't let him hurt our baby girl, or you, or _anyone_ else. I'll get him locked up. I'll kill him myself if I have to."

Nick only stared at her, eyes wide.

"_I won't let him hurt her_," she growled again, and something in her face forced him to believe her.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"She's at her aunt and uncle's house," Nick said after a moment. "Just spending some time with them. I'm supposed to pick her up in about an hour." He took her hand gently, running his thumb across the smooth skin. "Give me the car ride home to prepare her and you can meet her when we get here."

Miley nodded, smiling. "Sounds perfect."

As soon as the last word left her mouth Nick's cell phone interrupted the conversation. Smiling sheepishly, he reached over to the bedside table and picked it up, telling himself he would ignore it unless it was Joe or Taylor and could possibly be important.

He frowned when he noticed it was Joe.

"Hello?" he asked, growing more concerned by the second. He knew how his brother was as a babysitter; no news was usually good news, meaning any news at all was usually bad.

"Nick," Joe said quickly into the phone. His voice was rough, as if he'd been crying. "We're at St. Claire Children's Hospital. Come quick. I'll explain everything when you get here."

"What happened?" Nick asked hastily, not willing to wait for at least a partial explanation. "Is it really serious?"

"I gave her strawberries, she's really allergic, and her throat closed up," Joe said rapidly, sounding like he was crying again. "When we got here she was unconscious and they won't tell us anything. We don't even know if she's breathing or not. _Come quick."_

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**Poor Peyton! :( First lice and then a severe allergy; if I didn't know she was going to meet her mother in the next chapter I'd say this really isn't her day. Poor everybody in this chapter, really. This one was sad. And hey, what do you know, Joe and Taylor are still alive! :P**

**Also, my entire family got lice last year the exact same way Peyton and Nick did, when my little brother put a toy pot on his head in preschool. (I added that part to the story just to amuse my sister.) They really do pick every single bug off your head, one by one, and put them in a bucket. It is DISGUSTING. And itchy.**

**So yeah, please review! :D Come on guys, we can make it to 200!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**I am SO SO sorry that I haven't updated this in like forever. I had technical difficulties...my computer had a really bad virus thing and I couldn't do anything on it, I had to wait for it to get fixed before I updated. Sorry. :( But on the bright side Miley and Peyton finally meet in this chapter! So yeah, thank you guys so freaking much for all the reviews! I got like 35 or something crazy like that! And we broke 200! :)) You guys are the best! Therefore I officially dedicate this to: ****L****aLaLax6, mcandnj61106, xsamsmileyy, Mz Fizzle, JustJulz, nileylooover, XoXoNiLeY2010, JOJOATIA, rubberducky, SaritaHsM, nienlovesjonas, lcxx916, klouise94, smileeex8, FinnHudsonFanatic, Kristen, MileyNick123, JustToLetYouKnow, p3aCel0vEaNddAncE, Asdfghjkl, Desirrie, nuhnuhnuhniley4ever, AprilRainer18, EssenceBiJan, smileymee16, nileyfan1, SpinMeAroundx, Alexa, DemiLovesNiley, R'Canena, LollipopFandom, livelovenileyjemi, and teammiley4ever.**

**rubberducky: You should totally get an account! You don't have to have a story, and it's a lot easier to contact people and everything. And I don't think your reviews are boring at all, I love when people write long reviews, it's a lot more meaningful than "loved it, update soon!" :)**

**Disclaimer: I can't even think up another witty disclaimer. OBVIOUSLY I don't own anything too important.**

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"_What happened?" Nick asked hastily, not willing to wait for at least a partial explanation. "Is it really serious?"_

"_I gave her strawberries, she's really allergic, and her throat closed up," Joe said rapidly, sounding like he was crying again. "When we got here she was unconscious and they won't tell us anything. We don't even know if she's breathing or not. _Come quick._" _

**Thurs. August 25, 2013, St. Claire Children's Hospital, Hollywood, California, 3:14 p.m.**

Nick's head was spinning. This was all too familiar; sitting in a very uncomfortable chair with his face buried in his hands, crying so hard he couldn't see anything, thinking only about fear and all the things that could go wrong and how he could so easily lose the person he loved the most. It was a horrible feeling. Already he had lost Miley, and now that he might have gotten her back, he could be losing Peyton in her place. For the second time in four years, his daughter was seconds away from death, and he couldn't help but wonder if their luck had run out since the first time.

Miley sat beside him, just staring at the wall beside her. She was thinking faster than her brain could process the thoughts and she was crying silently. Only minutes after she found out her daughter was alive, she was sitting in a hospital waiting room knowing that her daughter could be dead. It simply wasn't fair. She thought about her own mother, and how she still didn't remember her. So many things she had wished they could have done together. If her only daughter was to die before she even had the chance to meet her, she would be officially convinced that the universe had something personal against her. She felt as if her blank eyes were burning a hole through the plain white wall as she stared it down.

Joe and Taylor sat directly across from the couple, Taylor's face pressed into Joe's shoulder as he held her silently. They were numb from the shock of everything that had happened that day, and especially from seeing Miley and Nick together. This had been a surprise to both of them in different ways, and they tried to push the curious thoughts to the back of their minds for the time being. Nick and Miley had offered only a very brief explanation and in this time of distress, Joe and Taylor didn't press them for answers.

The entire family was very close and therefore the small waiting room was nearly full. Nick's parents sat directly beside him, but had given up on trying to comfort him when he simply wouldn't let them. Frankie sat to the left of his father, looking awkward and out of place although, oddly, he seemed to be the calmest one in the room. Kevin and Danielle sat next to Joe and Taylor, their son and daughter curled up in one chair together beside them, sleeping silently. Occasionally they would glance over at their twins and feel a surge of guilt. After everything Nick and Peyton had been through...they couldn't help but feel bad that their two were not the ones in the hospital.

Joe had quietly explained everything to everyone when they walked in, and Miley was grateful not to be getting the stares and questions she had expected. Still, she got an odd feeling of comfort from seeing this family together, so different from the way she remembered them and yet somehow the same, all consoling and reassuring each other and praying for her little girl. She liked the thought that Peyton had so many people who cared about her. She deserved a loving family, especially since she had no maternal relatives at all.

Almost half an hour later, the twin two-year-olds woke up, hungry. The whole family decided to go to the cafeteria for a snack – not because they were hungry, but because they had to get away from the depressing stillness of the waiting room. Joe and Kevin practically dragged Nick from the room but Miley refused to go, and though they tried a little awkward persuasion, no one insisted that she come. Nick asked her to but she simply couldn't go. She couldn't move. She needed to stay and be with her thoughts.

She was surprised when Frankie asked to stay with her, so she wouldn't be alone.

She watched the eight figures shrink until they turned the corner and then looked down at her lap, falling back into her sadness.

After several minutes in silence, Miley's thoughts were interrupted when she caught a flash of red sinking into the chair beside her. She looked up to be met with two gorgeous brown eyes, but not from the face she had been used to seeing them on. She offered a small smile.

"Hey, Frank."

He smiled brightly. "Hi, Miles. Good to see you." He seemed to be looking her up and down, analyzing just how much she'd changed, and she took the opportunity to do the same to him.

Frankie had been nine the last time Miley saw him – small and chubby, with messy hair and a hole in his mouth from one of his final baby teeth. Now he was thirteen, awkward and lanky with absolutely unruly hair hanging in his eyes and orange braces gracing his teeth. He looked like a regular little ladies' man and she smiled as she realized he was the same age Nick was when she met him. He actually looked a lot like Nick, when she looked closely.

"I missed you," he told her quietly, and she reached out to brush his curls from his eyes. "I missed you too, baby brother."

His smile took on a sort of gentleness that looked strange on a boy of his age. "Peyton's gonna be okay," he said, without a hint of doubt. "Don't worry."

Miley sighed, and he shook his head before she could say anything. "No, really," he insisted. "Listen, P is always gonna be okay. She's the toughest kid I know. When she was born..." he paused, as if he expected Miley to burst into tears at the mention of that day, but when she only winced he went on: "When she was born she was supposed to die. None of the doctors thought she would survive. No one knows I overheard this, but when Nick was in the cafeteria one of the nurses told Mom and Dad to prepare him for her to die – and probably you too, but they were trying harder to save you. And she said that if Peyton did survive, she would have some sort of disability. But she doesn't."

He paused again, his eyes fierce with emotion. "She's fine – _perfect._ Everybody thought she was dead before she was born and she came out crying. There's nothing wrong with her the way the doctors said there would be. So many things could have gone wrong, and they didn't. She has a whole_ army _of angels looking after her."

He paused, shaking his head as if her worry was ridiculous as he finished: "One little strawberry is not going to take her out."

Miley was crying by the time he finished speaking, and she smiled at him. "Thanks, Frankie," she whispered.

He grinned. "No problem."

Then he stood up, walking over to his original seat and flopping down into it. And just like that, the moment was over.

Minutes later the rest of the family came walking back down the hallway, taking their respective seats silently and offering comforting smiles as Miley glanced at them. The twins stared at her curiously from their parents' arms, and she knew they had been told who she was, even if they didn't understand.

When Nick sat down, he stared at his feet for a moment before looking up at Miley. She felt his eyes on her and turned to meet his gaze, and he silently held out his hand.

She took it with a small smile, and he gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand, soothing her in the smallest of ways.

Even with this small reassurance, Miley didn't like the overall feeling of discomfort in the room. People spoke in hushed tones, even quieting the babies. Everyone sat perfectly still, only moving when it was completely necessary. No one looked at Miley for very long, and it left her feeling cold, as if she didn't belong. Joe was crying quietly, obviously overwhelmed with guilt, and it made her feel awful. _She _was the only one who should be guilty. She hadn't been there – not ever. And even if it wasn't her fault, part of her would always blame herself.

And as she was thinking about all of this she felt more tears brimming in her eyes, and she jumped slightly when she felt Nick's arms wrap around her, pulling him to her chest. Neither of them said anything; they simply held each other.

Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps invaded the almost silent waiting room, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

The doctor seemed to walk painfully slowly, though it was probably just in Nick's imagination. Finally the young man was in the center of the room and he glanced around at all the people, seeming to realize that they were all family.

"Peyton Lucas?" the doctor asked, glancing at his clipboard. Nick stood up, pulling Miley with him when she hesitated.

"How is she?" Nick asked urgently, squeezing Miley's hand.

"She's going to be fine," the man said with a small smile, and everyone sighed in relief. "She's reacting well to the treatment and she's awake. We let her have her teddy bear too. She's been asking for her father, even though we keep telling her not to talk so much." He chuckled lightly and then turned serious.

"You know, she's very lucky," he continued sincerely. "She got here just in time. I'd say twenty more seconds without treatment and she would have been dead."

Nick swallowed hard, closing his eyes. He really was seconds away from losing her.

"What happened, exactly?" Nick asked after a second, seeming slightly more calm.

"She has one of the most severe allergies we've ever seen here," the doctor said gravely. "Her throat constricted and she wasn't getting enough oxygen in her system. Has she ever had an allergic reaction before?"

Nick shook his head. "I didn't know she was allergic to anything."

The doctor nodded slightly. "Well, if it wasn't obvious, she shouldn't have strawberries anymore. It's possible she could grow out of it, but I doubt you'd be brave enough to test it yourself. There are blood tests you can do every few years to see if the severity has decreased any, and to check for any other allergies."

Nick only nodded. "Thank you. When can we see her?"

The doctor glanced at his clipboard again. "Now, if you'd like. Just make sure she doesn't talk too much; her throat is very sensitive right now."

"Thank you," Nick said again, his voice blank as his mind ran wild.

Moments later he found himself staring at the door of his daughter's hospital room, breathing deeply as he thought about what he was about to do.

Working up all of his courage, he turned the knob and opened the door, glancing back at Miley one last time from where she stood beside the door, out of the sight of anyone inside the room.

"Daddy!" Peyton cried happily when she saw him, holding her arms out for him, and he frowned at the sound of her hoarse voice.

"Hey, Princess," he said gently, walking over and giving her a careful hug. "How are you feeling?"

"Icky," she said simply. He smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry. You're gonna feel better really soon, okay?"

She nodded. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to me? No one will tell me."

He sighed. "You're allergic to strawberries," Nick told her. "When you ate them, your throat had a bad reaction and that's why you couldn't breathe. And I'm afraid you can't have strawberries anymore."

"Good," Peyton sniffed, looking very small. "Because I hate them. That was really scary..."

Nick almost started crying again. "I know; I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm sorry I wasn't with you," he told her, stroking her tangled hair. "I'm proud of you, though. Uncle Joe says you were very brave."

She trailed her tiny fingers across his shoulder, taking comfort in the familiar soft fabric of his shirt. "Thanks."

He smiled comfortingly. "Now stop talking so much," he instructed. "Just listen, okay? I have something...important to tell you."

She looked at him curiously, not speaking as she had been directed.

"Okay..." Nick took a deep breath, trying to find a good spot to begin. "You remember that story I told you, right?" he asked finally. "The one about Mommy?"

She nodded.

"And...do you remember when you stayed with Nana and Papa and I was too busy to come get you? So you stayed with..."

She cut him off with a sharp nod and hugged her teddy bear closer to her, obviously still upset over the memory.

"Well..." Nick gulped, licking his lips. "The reason I couldn't come get you is because I was with Mommy."

Her tiny eyes widened and she squeezed his arm, but still she said nothing.

"I saw her when I was out the night before. Some bad people were trying to hurt her." He paused. "So I saved her."

Peyton smiled slightly. _Just like a real prince and princess!_

"She didn't remember me," he went on. "She lost her memory in the accident, remember? So I didn't tell her who he was. Because I was afraid..." he trailed off, running one hand over his daughter's cheek. "I was afraid that if I did she would tell her father and he would take away my princess."

Peyton's eyes widened even more, and she rested her little hand on top of his on her cheek.

"So I pretended that I didn't know her. I took care of her until she could go back to her own house," he explained. "But I never told you about her because I knew that you could never meet her."

Her expression took on a look of confusion as she silently asked him why he was bothering to tell her now.

"Well..." he scratched his head in thought. "I didn't know it then, but when Mommy saw me she started to get her memory back. Ever since then she's been slowly remembering things and people...especially me and you."

"The evil spell was broken," Peyton said quietly, smiling. He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it was."

He sighed, his smile fading. "Well, when your mother started to remember she found me again," he said, swallowing hard. "Earlier today. And she...she wants to meet you."

She was quiet for a long moment, thinking, and she just stared at him. Then she smiled.

"Really?" she asked in a small voice.

"Really. She's outside in the hall right now."

Peyton's smile grew. "Can I meet her now?"

Nick smiled slightly at her excitement. "Yes, but you can't talk so much, P. Your throat will only hurt worse."

She nodded quickly, pressing her lips tightly together and pretending to zip them closed. He smiled, ruffling her hair, and then stood up.

"Come in, Miley," he called, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He couldn't let them know how nervous he was.

The door, which had been discretely cracked open the whole time, slowly opened to reveal a very nervous Miley, tears dripping slowly from her eyes as she walked into the room and stopped when she came close to the bed.

Two identical pairs of blue eyes locked and time seemed to stand still.

As Miley looked at her little girl laying there in bed, looking broken and yet strong, and staring right at her...she couldn't believe it. It was really her. Peyton was really alive and she was really there, wanting to meet her.

Almost even more shocking was the flood of memories that came rushing back to her. Suddenly she remembered everything. Her early childhood, things that had happened before she met Nick. She remembered her mother. She remembered it _all._

Peyton was the final piece of the puzzle.

While she was thinking this, Peyton stared at her with wide eyes, not sure if she was real or not. It was too good to be true – her mother and her father, together in one room, with her. She had been sure she would never meet her mother. But now she was. Her mother _wanted _to meet her. She broke the evil spell and came back for her. And knowing that was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt.

"Hi, Baby Girl," Miley whispered finally, wiping the joyful tears from her eyes as she took a step closer. Nick backed away silently, giving mother and daughter their moment, observing them both and smiling slightly. The mere thought of them knowing each other, of Peyton growing up with both parents...it was enough to make him cry as well.

"Hi, Mommy," Peyton whispered back, in a small voice that was almost inaudible. She squeezed Chewie to her tightly and Miley timidly took another step closer.

The two simply stared at each other for a long moment, neither trying to touch the other for fear that they would disappear.

It was Miley that reached her hand out first. Gently she touched Peyton's small hand with one finger, and the little girl carefully wrapped her fingers around her mother's hand, squeezing it gently. Her other hand held Chewie close to her body, and when she glanced down at him she swore she saw him wink at her.

"You're prettier than you were in your picture," Peyton whispered. Her voice was soft and very small, still sounding rough from her injured throat.

"So are you," Miley said with a smile. Her daughter tugged hesitantly on her hand, and Miley took the hint and sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully reaching out her hand to push Peyton's curls out of her eyes. Peyton winced slightly when her mother's fingers touched her forehead. After only a second, though, she felt herself lean into the comforting touch, surprised but very pleased to see that her mother's embrace was just as calming as her father's.

The room was silent for a long moment. Peyton had spent many lonely days thinking about all the things she would say to her mother if they ever met, but now she simply couldn't find any words.

"Did you really forget me?" she finally asked, her quiet voice sounding strained.

Miley managed a weak, sad smile. "Yes. But I remember now..." she squeezed her daughter's hand again.

"Are you going to stay here?" Peyton asked, not seeming quite as nervous as before. "And live with us?"

This question posed a slight problem. Miley glanced up at Nick, her eyes questioning. What were they, exactly? Yeah, they had kissed, and snuggled a little. But that wasn't exactly a real relationship. It had been four years, after all. For all she knew he could be in a relationship with someone else. She didn't really have the right to -

"Mommy?" Peyton snapped her mother out of her thoughts, concerned by the long silence. She smiled as the single word left her lips; she had said it before, but it felt so new and special to say it now.

She repeated her previous question and Miley looked up at Nick again. He nodded.

Turning back to Peyton, she smiled lightly. "I guess so, if you and your father don't mind."

Peyton smiled, nodding her head. Suddenly she realized she had snuggled up closer to Miley, who was now beside her on the bed. The feeling, while completely foreign, was very soothing and wonderful. Her mother was holding her for the very first time.

"I love you, Mommy," Peyton whispered hoarsely into her mother's neck, so quietly that Miley almost missed it. Hearing her daughter say that was the greatest feeling Miley had ever known. Her baby loved her. They were together again and they always would be, no matter what. She felt like she had just given birth as she sat in the presence of this little miracle, vowing that she would always take care of her and love her and do anything in her power to keep her safe and happy.

"I love you too, Peyton," she whispered, leaning down and kissing her daughter's forehead tenderly. The two cuddled for a moment more, sitting in a comfortable silence. Their tears mingled together on their cheeks – Peyton had always thought it was a lie that people cried when they were happy, but now she knew it to be true. The tears flowed out of her eyes freely, even though she wasn't sad, and she noticed her mother crying to. In fact, when she glanced up at the wall, she caught a glimpse of her daddy wiping his eyes on his sleeve as well.

Finally Miley spoke again, still feeling like she wasn't quite welcome in the family. "Well, I suppose we should let the rest of your family take their turn now. Everyone is dying to see you."

Peyton suddenly remembered the doctor saying something about no more than two visitors being allowed in the room at one time. The thought panicked her as she realized her mother would have to leave.

Her blue eyes widened and she gripped Miley's arm tightly. "No!" she shouted, her weak voice cracking. She winced in pain and her parents frowned.

"Shh," Nick reminded her, speaking up for the first time since Miley entered the room, but he was basically ignored.

"Don't leave me!" Peyton said frantically, more tears dripping down her cheeks, and Miley could see fear in her eyes. A surge of guilt ran over her as she realized her daughter was so scared of losing her again that she would give up a change to see all of the other people she loved.

Miley looked up at Nick, and his face only mirrored her confused and sad expression.

"Okay, Baby Girl," Miley whispered slowly, rubbing her daughter's back as Peyton buried her head into her chest. "It's okay. I won't leave."

Peyton only sniffled, still holding onto Miley's arm tightly.

"Should I tell the rest that you aren't ready for visitors yet?" Nick asked softly.

His daughter looked up at him, still sniffling. "They can come," she said, and reached her other hand out for him, "But you and Mommy have to stay, too."

Nick swallowed, taking Peyton's hand to comfort her and looking at Miley, whose expression told him she would be no help.

"I'm sure the doctors will understand," he said finally. "I'll tell someone else they can come in, okay?"

She responded with a small whining noise, tightening her grip on his arm. "Don't leave."

"I'll be right back. I promise."

She looked at him for a minute, and then, ever so slowly, she moved her hand off of his arm and wrapped it around Miley instead, dropping her head down onto her chest.

"That's my girl," he whispered gently. He leaned in and kissed her forehead as softly as possible, and then, after a short pause, he kissed Miley's forehead as well. He had two special girls now.

Nick stepped out of the room and went to retrieve one of his brothers, and Miley and Peyton sat in silence for a moment. They both had so much to say to each other, and yet they couldn't get anything out of their mouths.

"I'm glad you came back to me," Peyton whispered into her mother's chest, so softly Miley wasn't sure if she was meant to hear it.

"Me too," she whispered, kissing her daughter's head again. For the first time, she noticed the tattered stuffed bear that Peyton had in her lap. She couldn't help but smile as a flood of memories washed over her. She _remembered _that bear. She remembered finding it in a store and thinking it was the cutest thing ever, and stitching those careful cursive letters on the bottom of his paw. They were real memories – things she could recall whenever she wanted, and they weren't strange or unfamiliar in any way.

Peyton picked her tiny head up and looked up into Miley's eyes, a serious expression on her angelic face. "Please don't ever leave us again," she whispered.

Miley's heart broke and she pulled the little girl to her tightly.

"I won't," she whispered back. "I promise."

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**Aw for the Mommy/Daughter moment! I like this chapter, don't love it, but I like it. :) Unfortunately the drama is just getting started... The 'M' rating will come into play within the next few chapters too. ;) The next update will come pretty fast (hopefully) because I feel bad about not updating for so long.**

**So yeah...thoughts?**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Hey.**

**Yes, I am alive! And OMG I am so, so, so, so, SO sorry that I haven't updated in, like, MONTHS. I can't even TELL you how sorry I am. Remember last chapter in the AN I told you my laptop was freaking out? Well apparently the people who fixed it are huge idiots because it freaked out again like a week later, but even worse. So I had to wait for them to fix it again but it took them forever because apparently the virus was doing a lot of damage and they were trying to make sure I didn't lose any of my pictures and documents and blah blah. But it's FINALLY fixed and I was so happy to read all of the reviews! There were SOOO freaking many I almost screamed. Seriously. Thank you guys SO MUCH! I feel horrible for making you wait, though. :( So I won't make you wait any longer... Dedicated With LOTS of Love to: ****kness25, LaLaLax6, YaY3, AprilRainer18, EssenceBiJan, smileymee16, nileyfan1, nienlovesjonas, DemiLovesNiley, XoXoNiLeY2010, nileylooover, klouise93, JOJOATIA, R'Canena, xImASmilerx, lcxx916, Rubberducky44, livelovenileyjemi, nickmileyclub, LollipopFandom, smileeex8, xLoveforNiley, Cathyokw, , Team M, hadiy101, mcandnj61106, iamsofreakinbored, independentHSMFAN23, miller26e, JustToLetYouKnow, Mileyisthebestest, niley4eva2012, Xxawesome08xX, Xoxobooklova, Nileyrocks, and xLovingNiley.**

**Disclaimer: You should know by now!**

* * *

**Fri. August 26, 2013, St. Claire Children's Hospital, Hollywood, California, 5:32 a.m.**

The room was silent when Peyton opened her eyes.

She glanced around, confused. This wasn't her bedroom. Where was she? She felt a brief panic until she swallowed a little too hard and a sharp pain coursed through her throat.

Then she remembered. She was in the hospital. She frowned at this realization.

But then she remembered something else. Glancing around quickly, she noticed her father sleeping soundly in a chair directly beside her bed, one hand resting on the mattress next to her, as if he had been holding her hand when he fell asleep. This comforted her, and she smiled as she slipped her fingers into his. He looked a little disheveled – dressed in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday, obviously not freshly showered. She could vaguely recall the small temper fit she had thrown when her parents suggested that they go home for a few minutes, one at a time so she wouldn't ever have to be without both of them, to prepare themselves for the night.

She had to smile slightly as she looked at him. She was smart for her age; she knew the types of tricks grown-ups played on kids. Her parents should have waited for her to fall asleep and then snuck home anyway, but denied it when she asked the next morning. But she could tell from her father's appearance that he hadn't done anything like that; he'd stayed there with her every minute just like she'd begged him to.

She lifted his hand to her mouth and gave it a gentle, loving kiss.

But even with the comfort of her father's love, she knew something was missing.

Where was her mother? Was it all a dream? She didn't see another chair anywhere. Had she been disappointed when she met her daughter and left them again?

Or had her mean, angry father appeared and stolen her away?

At that moment, it didn't even matter to Peyton where her mother was. She just wasn't there where she should have been.

Just as Peyton felt her lower lip quiver with the beginnings of a long cry, the door creaked open slowly and quietly.

She smiled. "Mommy!" She was just barely able to stop herself from yelling it, remembering her sleeping father and bringing her voice down to a whisper.

Her mother smiled. "Morning, Baby," she whispered, walking over to the bed to give Peyton a kiss on the forehead.

"Where were you?"

Her mother smiled gently. "I was just outside talking to your Aunt Taylor on the phone. I didn't want to talk in here because I thought it might wake you."

"Oh," Peyton said quietly, picking at her teddy bear's foot. "You scared me..."

A flash of sadness crossed Miley's face, but she quickly masked it with another tender smile, knowing enough to hide her guilt from her daughter: "I'm sorry, honey. I wasn't expecting you to wake up so early."

Peyton rested her head on her mother's shoulder, breathing in the sweet, faint scent of woman's shampoo and perfume - a comfort she had felt before from aunts but was obviously never able to get from her father. She liked it.

"What were you talking about?" she asked curiously, lovingly twirling a lock of Miley's hair around her tiny finger.

Miley swallowed. "Just...things that happened when I was gone. How I happened to be back." She kissed the top of Peyton's head. "It's grown-up stuff."

Peyton pouted, having heard this excuse before, but she knew it would be pointless to press the matter. She was never allowed in on 'grown-up stuff.'

The two sat in silence for a moment, holding each other in a comfortable embrace. It reminded Peyton of the way she and her father snuggled when they watched movies before she went to bed, and she always ended up falling asleep in his arms. She smiled as she added her mother to the picture, sitting on the other side of her on the couch. A family movie night with a whole, complete family.

"I love you," she whispered into Miley's neck.

Miley's heart soared. "I love you too."

Suddenly Peyton felt very sleepy, unable to hold back a yawn as she snuggled closer into her mother's chest.

Miley chuckled. "Somebody woke up too early."

Peyton shook her head stubbornly and opened her mouth to reply, but ended up yawning again. Miley gently ran her fingers along her daughter's back.

"Go back to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. I promise."

Peyton managed a small nod as her eyes fell closed, and seconds later she was asleep.

Miley just rested there for a while, leaning her head on the top of Peyton's as she listened to the calm, even breathing of the two sleeping people in the room. It was a nice comfort and she relished in it for a while, letting it take away the real issues that she was faced with.

**Mon. August 29, 2013, Bright Beginnings Preschool, Hollywood, California, 7:54 a.m.**

"Do I really have to go?" Peyton asked quietly, sniffling slightly as she peered around the corner into her classroom. She was standing between her parents in the hallway, clinging to Nick's leg with her right arm and Miley's with her left, pulling the two of them to each other in a very awkward position.

"Yes, P," Nick sighed again, "You have to go. Come on, you love school! Don't you want to see your friends again?"

Peyton shook her head, whining slightly and burying her face into Nick's leg. "No. I wanna stay with you and Mommy."

"We'll both be here when school is over," Miley promised, running one hand through Peyton's curls. Peyton sniffled, looking up at her with very big blue eyes.

"Promise?"

Miley gave a sad smile and nodded, repeating the word for at least the thirtieth time that morning: "Promise."

Peyton wiped her eyes, turning her head to look at her father again. He smiled encouragingly. "Ready?"

She shrugged, moving her gaze down to her feet.

"Look, there's Emily," Nick said with a tone of forced happiness, gesturing to a flash of red hair zipping back and forth across the back of the classroom, "And here comes Caitlin through the door right now, see? They'll be so happy to see you again."

Peyton sniffled, looking around at her friends. She held firmly to her parents' legs.

Slowly and carefully, Nick untangled himself from her, Miley following his lead. "Why don't you go on in and we'll wait out here until class starts?" he suggested gently, and she whined for a minute before accepting their goodbye hugs and kisses and stepping slowly into the room, clinging to the strap of her backpack so tightly her fingers were starting to cramp.

"Peyton!" came a tiny, eager voice from somewhere across the room. "Peyton! Peyton! Look! Look!"

She turned her head towards the sound just in time for a mess of wild blonde waves to come screeching to a halt inches from her face.

"Hi, Anna."

"Look, look!" Anna shouted, over excited as always. "Look what I found!"

And she held up a little hair clip with a blue flower on it.

"Anna!" Peyton shrieked, with such shock and urgency and undeniable happiness that her parents and teacher, who had been standing in the doorway discussing the changes they would need to do to her records, snapped their heads towards her and stared.

Peyton snatched the object out of her friend's hand, staring at it in wonder as if she couldn't believe it was really the same one she'd lost. "Anna!" she said again. "My mommy's hair clip! Where did you find it?"

"In my backpack," Anna giggled. "You put it in there on accident, 'cause it looks just like yours."

"Oh!" Peyton traced her thumb over the silver part of the clip before bringing it up to her lips and placing a gentle kiss on the blue petals of the flower. She looked up again, nearly tackling the other little girl in a hug.

"Thank you, Annie, _thank you_!"

Anna laughed. "You're welcome," she said bashfully, obviously pleased with herself.

"Daddy!" Peyton took off towards the doorway, not even noticing the things she knocked over in her haste. "Look! Look! She found it! Anna found it!"

Nick smiled at her, scooping her up and laughing a little out of sheer happiness at the look on her face. "Wow! See, I told you it would pay off to come to school today!" He tickled her stomach lightly and she threw her head back and laughed, apparently completely cured of her separation anxiety.

"What have you got there?" Miley asked finally, fighting off the pang of sadness as once again she felt like an outsider to this family. Peyton turned to her, still snug in her father's arms, and smiled brightly.

"My most special thing in the world. I lost it last week and my friend Anna found it."

Miley held her hand out and her daughter dropped the small object into it, and she couldn't help but smile as the memories came back to her. "Oh gosh, I remember this!" She looked up into Nick's eyes. "I was wearing it the day I met Daddy when I moved into his neighborhood, and then I never saw it again. I thought I lost it when I was riding home on my bike..."

Nick gave her a sheepish smile, shaking his head slightly. "I found it in my driveway," he said quietly.

She raised an eyebrow. "And you kept it? When we were thirteen?"

He shrugged. "I knew you were special."

Peyton smiled as her mother handed the hair clip back to her. Nick kissed her head and placed her back on her feet. "Why don't you go show your other friends? They'll be so happy for you."

She nodded. "Okay, Daddy."

And the next second she was gone.

Nick and Miley spent nearly an hour talking with the receptionist about all the necessary changes they had to make to Peyton's school records. Peyton's teacher watched them for a few minutes through the glass doors of the office before turning back to keep a closer eye on her students – particularly Peyton.

Miss Katie stood in the corner of the room and watched as Peyton and her friends giggled and played – a drastic change to Peyton's earlier shyness. She saw little Hallie being excluded from the group until she promised to never put anything on their heads again; she saw the girls' eyes widen as they listened to a story Peyton was telling them about everything that had happened to her since they had last seen her.

This was something the teacher was wondering about herself. Last week Peyton had been the child of a single father; now she had both parents. The teacher was confused, but she hadn't been offered much of an explanation and she definitely wasn't the type to outright ask for one. After all, her students' family lives weren't any of her business unless she suspected neglect or abuse, which she certainly didn't in this case. But still, she couldn't help but wonder...

As she watched, Peyton broke away from the group and walked across the room, stopping right in front of her.

"Miss Katie?"

The young women smiled. "Yes, Peyton?"

"Can I have my family picture back?" The little girl's eyes twinkled. "I need to add someone."

**Mon. August 29, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 9:12 a.m.**

Nick and Miley found themselves cuddling in the living room in a comfortable silence. Nick had his cheek resting on the top of Miley's head as he stroked her arm lovingly. Miley only stared straight ahead, lost in thought.

Nick frowned when he felt something wet drip onto his arm, moving to look at Miley's face just in time for her to turn away, wiping her eyes.

"Mi, what's wrong?" he asked, alarmed, as he reached out to stroke her cheek.

She sighed, turning her sad gaze on him. "The only things she had of me were a hair clip and a teddy bear."

Nick frowned slightly, realizing that they couldn't live in this false state of happiness for much longer; eventually they were going to have to deal with the issues they'd been left with.

He managed a small smirk, brushing her hair out of her eyes as he corrected: "Actually, she also has a picture. And that cheesy little necklace I gave you in ninth grade."

Miley sniffed. "Still. Think about this, Nick!" she angrily wiped her tears again as she turned to stare straight ahead. "I have a kid that I knew nothing about – not even a baby, a _kid. _She's four. She has a whole personality and everything and I know absolutely nothing about her! How am I supposed to learn it all at once?"

Nick's look of sadness took on a small hint of hopefulness. "Well," he began slyly, "Her name is Peyton Destiny Hope, she's four, and she was born on June 11, 2009. She has a special teddy bear named Chewie and she goes to preschool three days a week. You knew all that, right?"

Miley raised her head, nodding slowly.

"So you do know _something _about her."

"But not _everything._ I'm her mother. I'm supposed to know every little random thing about her."

Nick smiled, an idea forming in his mind. "Well, then, I guess I'll have to teach you."

Miley forced a smile, glancing back up at him and then leaning her head on his chest.

"I guess so."

It was quiet.

"Nick?" Miley said finally, swallowing roughly as she forced every ounce of her courage to come forward.

"Mmm?" He stroked her hair absently.

She pushed herself away from him and sat up to look into his eyes. "What are we?"

Nick looked into her eyes, seeming to get lost in his thoughts for a long moment. This was something they hadn't yet discussed. They acted a bit like a couple, snuggling and sleeping in the same bed, but they hadn't even kissed ever since Peyton and Miley had met. He had no idea if she still felt anything for him – for all he knew, she could be in love with someone else. He simply hadn't worked up the courage to ask yet. For the first time, he realized that she had the same questions about him.

"I don't know," he breathed out. "What do you want to be?"

"I-I don't know," she repeated, then paused. After a moment, she let out a slight laugh, "I don't know anything anymore. I've never been so confused in my life."

She fell silent as Nick dragged his fingers across her cheek gently, gazing into her eyes with an unreadable expression.

"I love you," he told her. "I love you just as much as I did back then, if not more."

She smiled, resting her forehead against his. "I love you too..."

Nick gave her the same coy smile he had given her the day they met.

"Well then, Pretty Lady...would you like to go out with me sometime?"

Miley blushed as she giggled like a schoolgirl, tangling their fingers together. "I'd love to."

And they kissed.

**Mon. August 29, 2013, Joe and Taylor's House, Hollywood, California, 9:12 a.m.**

"This is the craziest shit I've ever heard."

Taylor leaned back against the couch cushions, looking intently at Joe as he nodded in agreement to her statement.

"You can say that again."

She glanced at him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? You must have known, with the way I was talking about her."

Joe shrugged defensively. "I figured it was a different Miley! I thought it would be impossible for her to ever run into us again."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Joseph, how many people do you know named '_Miley'?"_

Joe laughed. "Well, sorry for not jumping to a ridiculous conclusion. Besides, Miley isn't even her real name."

Taylor nodded before resting her head on his chest. "I know."

They got quiet for a while.

"I'm going out to hunt a wedding dress this weekend."

"Really?" he smiled at her. "Awesome. I can't wait..."

"Me neither." She turned her head to look up at him, her body still leaning comfortably across his. "How weird is it to be doing this when we're already married?"

He chuckled, nuzzling his face into her hair slightly. "Very. But it's kind of cool, isn't it? I mean, we have a pretty epic story to tell our future kids."

She laughed again. "Yeah, I guess so. Especially the part where your mom smacked you with a wooden spoon."

Joe glared. "Don't you _ever _tell anyone about that."

She laughed. "Too bad, I already told Miley. I didn't tell her how you screamed like a girl though..."

"It hurt!"

"I'm sure it did, Josephine."

A blush crept across Joe's face as he leaned in to kiss her. "Oh, shut up."

They were quiet again.

"Do you think it was, like, fate or something?" Taylor asked after a moment. "You know, with everything with Nick and Miley and you and me all happening on the same night?"

"I was kind of thinking that, actually," he told her. "Like it was supposed to happen, you know?"

"Yeah." She let her eyes wander around the room, smiling as they landed on a picture of Nick and Peyton that hung on the wall.

_We'll have to take a new one, _she thought.

**Tues. August 30, 2013, Lucas Residence, Hollywood, California, 10:00 a.m.**

Miley screamed as she toppled to the floor, a sharp pain running through her side for a moment. She moaned in pain and frustration as she pulled herself up, yanking the object that had tripped her out from under her legs so she could see what it was.

A stuffed puppy. She rolled her eyes.

Pulling herself to her feet, she walked down the hallway and tossed the offending animal into Peyton's bedroom, rubbing her side. She wasn't angry about it – honestly Peyton was a very clean and organized child compared to most, which she had clearly gotten from Nick. It just upset her that she wasn't used to it. Nick walked around the house stepping over things left and right and barely even watching where he was going!

She smiled as she closed Peyton's bedroom door and noticed the note taped to the outside of it.

_Warning: Do not come in this room if you are not prepared to step on something small and hard, sit on an open marker and ruin your clothes, or be forced to participate in a tea party._

Miley laughed. These little notes had been showing up all over the house ever since ever since she woke up that morning. They actually did tell her a lot about her daughter, and it gave her a warm feeling to think of Nick writing them when she was asleep, hiding them everywhere, just for her.

She had stumbled across several of them already, because she had been wandering around the house practically all morning. She was home alone for the first time in her new house. Nick was working that day and Peyton was at school, and Miley found she was feeling extremely uncomfortable in the house by herself. She still couldn't quite shake the feeling that it wasn't her house – that she didn't belong there.

She slowly pushed the door to Peyton's room open again. She smiled at the bed, with stuffed animals and pillows strewn across it, the covers tousled from when Peyton had jumped on the bed that morning. She smiled as she pictured herself stretched out across the bed, Nick lying next to her and Peyton in the middle, tucked in tight as her parents read her a bedtime story. The image warmed her heart and it made her feel a little more welcome in the family.

Smiling, she opened the next door she came to in the hallway – the bedroom she now shared with Nick. She giggled a little as she pictured the two of them sound asleep in bed, and Peyton rushing in to wake them, bouncing on the bed and laughing her adorable little laugh.

Each little image brightened Miley's day and she continued through the house, stopping in every room.

In the living room she saw herself curled up on the couch with Nick, and Peyton lying across the floor coloring a picture, jumping up after a minute and rushing to her parents to show it to them. In the kitchen Miley saw herself cooking breakfast for her family and Nick standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting on her shoulder while Peyton skipped around the kitchen, enjoying the smell of the food.

Sometime later Miley found herself in the backyard, grinning widely as she pictured herself chasing her daughter around. She turned and looked back at the house. Earlier that morning it had felt strange and wrong to be in Nick's house without him. Now, it felt just fine to be in _her _house by herself.

It was the first time she truly realized where she was. She was _home._

**Tues. August 30, 2013, The Woods Behind The Park, Hollywood, California, 3:04 p.m.**

"Higher, Daddy!" The little girl laughed, and her father obeyed, pushing her higher on the swing. Her mother stood nearby, holding a video camera up in front of her, laughing at something the father was saying.

The young man stood far away from the three, shielded by a large group of trees as he leaned over to get a better look. He swallowed hard, running his tongue along his dry lips as he held his cell phone up to his ear.

"Yeah, It's definitely them," he whispered.

"Very good," a voice said back to him, "We'll do it soon. I'm not close enough yet."

"Yes, Sir," the young man whispered, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I'm to follow them home, then?"

"Yes. Make sure you get an exact address."

"I will, Sir." The person on the other end hung up.

The young man stared at his phone for a long while before slipping it back into his pocket. When he looked up at the happy family, the little girl was standing in the swing, leaning over to kiss her mother's cheek, and the father was smiling as he captured it on camera.

_She's adorable, _the young man thought, tears stinging his eyes. The stack of money he had in his pocket burned him, reminded him of what he had just become: a monster.

_Half now, half when the job is done, _the man had told him, as he counted out the money and pressed it into his new partner's hand. The young man had left the meeting place, walked along the street to the nearest bus stop, and promptly thrown up all over the grass.

_I don't want to do this, _he told himself, as if that made it any better.

He sat down on the forest floor, pulling the large chunk of cash he had so desperately needed out of his pocket and staring at it. Calmly and meticulously, he counted out every bill. Five thousand dollars.

He looked up at the little girl again.

Was it really worth it?

* * *

**Drama coming... :O**

**So since I was MIA for so long and since I personally don't think this particular chapter was worth the wait I'm going to work my ass off and finish the next chapter and update within like the next 2 days. So please review fast! :)))**

**And the next chapter is rated M. I know you're looking forward to it, you pervs. xD**


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